A Collection of Truths
by Miss Mysty
Summary: Short stories in which the Junjou characters discover things, from the trivial to the monumental. 236: It took Hiroki eight years to realize that sometimes a massage is just a massage.
1. Takahiro's First Truth

Takahiro's First Truth

Takahiro was worried. After all, his best friend, Usagi-chan as he called him, was thirty-two and wasn't even thinking of marriage. He seemed content to let Takahiro's brother take care of him for the rest of his life, but Takahiro knew it couldn't last. Misaki was graduating college and would soon be off on his own.

Manami wasn't on his side, but he had someone who he hoped would be. And that's how he found himself outside the apartment of his old high school friend, Hiroki Kamijou. They hadn't seen each other much since graduation, but Usagi had known where the man lived, so they were obviously still in contact.

He was slightly disconcerted when he knocked on the door and a tall, black-haired man answered, but he didn't let that stop him. "Is Hiroki Kamijou living here?" he said, a radiant smile on his face as he looked the man right in the eye- a great effort, to be sure.

"Hiro-san!" the man said, looking into the apartment. "You have a visitor."

"I'm busy, Nowaki." It was Hiroki, all right.

Takahiro smiled. "You must be Kamijou's roommate. I'm Takahiro Takahashi." He bowed, not noticing that Hiroki was staring out at them. "It seems weird. Kamijou's family is so rich, I thought he'd be able to live on his own."

Hiroki sat there in the living room, books spread out on the floor around him as he made lesson plans. At that, though, he looked like he was dying to say something, and Nowaki quickly intervened. "Would you like to come in? I just made tea."

"Thank you."

Takahiro stared at Hiroki as Nowaki got their drinks ready.

"So, to what do I owe this… pleasure, Takahashi?" Hiroki asked. He had his unruly hair back in a bandana and was wearing his small, plastic-framed glasses. Takahiro had never seen him looking so casual, and it almost distracted him.

"Oh, yes," he finally said, shaking himself out of his thoughts. "I was hoping to talk to you about Usagi-chan. I'm worried about him."

Hiroki flinched at the pet name but hid it by going to examine one of the books nearest to him. "What's Akihiko done this time?"

"Oh, nothing!" Takahiro said. "It's just that he's thirty-two now, and I think his life would be much better if he settled down."

His old friend looked flabbergasted just in time for Nowaki to enter with three cups of tea. Takahiro smiled at him and watched as Nowaki lingered with Hiroki, staring into his eyes as they both held the mug. Then Nowaki smiled and the moment was broken.

"Oh, Hiro-san, you needed to mail something, right? I'll drop that off for you," Nowaki said. He didn't give Hiroki time to protest and was gone with the sealed letter, still holding his tea in his free hand.

"You're alone too, right?" Takahiro said. "You know how it must be, being a bachelor in your thirties. Maybe Usagi-chan will listen to you."

Hiroki's eyebrow twitched as he brought the tea to his lips. "For one thing, Akihiko never listens to me." He removed his glasses and fell back, covering his eyes with one hand.

"And two?" Takahiro was genuinely curious.

"I'm far from alone, Takahashi." His face went red as he admitted this.

"Well sure," Takahiro said. "You have Usagi-chan, and your roommate, I suppose. But don't you ever want to settle down? I'm so happy with Manami."

"Nowaki's not my roommate."

"Oh, so you do live alone?"

"That's not what I'm saying." His eye twitched when he saw the blank look on Takahiro's face. "If you want someone to convince Akihiko to marry, I suggest you look somewhere else." Still no comprehension. "I'm gay. Nowaki and I have been together for nine years now."

The smile was frozen on Takahiro's face at that point. Instead of looking at Hiroki, he stared at the books around him.

"Oh, you're reading… The Picture of Dorian Gray?" He'd vaguely heard of the book and was clearly grasping at straws.

"I'm teaching a classic western literature class right now."

More awkward silence.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, Kamijou."

"You too."

And Takahiro left.

**This was just a random thing I thought of while working on the last chapter of Old Friends, Old Problems. Feel free to make requests for 'truths' you'd like to see and I'll see what I can do** .


	2. Misaki's First Truth

Misaki's First Truth

"Oi, chibi-tan! Could you bring this paperwork up to Takano in Emerald?" Isaka had a manila envelope in his hand, and it was stuffed to the breaking point. Misaki had just finished helping Aikawa, and he knew Usagi would be waiting for him to come home. Isaka was looking desperate, though, and when had Misaki ever been able to say no?

"No problem, Isaka-san!" Misaki smiled and took the envelope. As he scrambled to pick it up off the floor after dropping it, Isaka made his getaway. The man could move when he wanted to. Misaki turned to look at Aikawa, but she was busy on both the phone and the computer. Misaki said a quiet goodbye and slipped out.

There was a man already in the elevator, and Misaki stood apart from him, nervous. He didn't actually know that many people at Marukawa outside those that had to deal with Usagi. It seemed this man was going to the same floor, though, and Misaki couldn't help but be curious.

"Do you work in Emerald?" he asked. The man looked at him, wary, and Misaki bowed. "I'm Misaki Takahashi. I help out in literature. Nice to meet you."

The silence dragged out as the elevator beeped for a floor, though not theirs. "Ritsu Onodera. I'm one of the editors at Emerald."

"Oh cool!" Misaki unconsciously moved closer, though Ritsu noticed. "That means you get to see a lot of manga before it's published, right?"

"Shoujo manga," Ritsu said, as if it made a difference to Misaki. The doors opened, and Ritsu flinched when he heard yelling.

"Is everything okay?" Misaki said, poking his head out of the elevator. He was hesitant to actually leave it.

"Takano-san is probably having it out with sales again." Ritsu eyed the large envelope in Misaki's arms. "If that's for us, I can take it off your hands."

Misaki jolted when one of the arguers started yelling 'idiot' over and over. "No! I mean, I've been wanting to see the other departments."

"Suit yourself." Ritsu shrugged and led the way.

A man stormed past, so Misaki didn't notice the office at first. Ritsu left his side, though, and when Misaki turned to look at him, he was met with an explosion of pink walls and floral decorations. It actually made him scream. He'd heard people call Emerald the 'maiden' department, but seeing it for himself was terrifying.

"Oi, keep it down!" a man yelled at him, pulling his feet up on his desk. He looked tense as he lit a cigarette and stuck it between his lips.

"Takano-san, he's just an intern," Ritsu said.

Misaki jumped when Takano turned his glare from Ritsu to him. "I, uh, have some papers from Isaka-san," Misaki said. Takano didn't move, so Misaki forced himself to walk across the room and deposit the envelope on the older man's desk.

"Of course he couldn't be assed to come up here," Takano muttered, sliding the envelope closer so he could open it. He glared up at Misaki, and Misaki ran for it.

"Don't feel bad," one of the other editors said as Misaki passed his desk. "He's only ever sweet to Rittchan."

Ritsu didn't look up, but he had a very obvious blush on his face. As Misaki reached the elevator, he decided that if he didn't meet a straight man soon, the universe really was laughing at him.

**If you don't recognize Ritsu and Takano, I suggest you look up Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi like now. Well not now. After you review.**


	3. Nowaki's First Truth

Nowaki's First Truth

Nowaki was a kind soul; he couldn't stand to see anything suffer. It might've just been his personality, or it might've been a result of growing up in an orphanage, where children were often taken in hungry and beaten, abused by parents that didn't want them but wouldn't let them go until outside forces intervened.

Which might've been why he went into the pet store on the way home from the hospital. He took one look in the window and he couldn't stand the sad eyes of the animals that greeted him. He wasn't going to lie and say he went in with no intention of buying a pet, though he didn't expect it to be a guinea pig. He supposed the logic was that it was a cage animal, and Hiro-san certainly couldn't protest against an animal that didn't make a mess of their apartment, right?

His lover wasn't home yet, so Nowaki was free to do what he wanted.

"Do you want to explore your new home, Eri-chan?" he asked, putting down the guinea pig amenities he bought, including a giant exercise ball. Eri-chan just sat there in her little plastic traveling cage, not looking amused at all. Nowaki smiled and took the plastic ball out of its packaging so Eri-chan could run around while he got things set up.

Despite Eri-chan's initial lukewarm reactions, she ran for it as soon as Nowaki let her loose on the floor. The only thing stopping her was the furniture she crashed into, but only for as long as it took for her to turn in another direction. Nowaki smiled at her as he filled the bottom of the cage he bought with wood shavings. She was, he decided, almost as cute as his Hiro-san.

When everything was ready, Nowaki realized it was time to cook dinner. Hiro-san would be home soon, and maybe he'd be in the mood to not argue about Eri-chan if Nowaki made his favorite stir-fry. Eri-chan was exploring his and Hiro-san's bedroom, so he let her run around for a bit longer instead of confining her.

"I'm back!" Hiro-san called as Nowaki washed his hands. He could be heard going into the bedroom, and as soon as Nowaki's hands were dry, he hesitantly went down the hall.

The scene that greeted Nowaki was a puzzling one. Hiro-san was just sitting there on their bed, watching Eri-chan. She had gotten into a pattern of hitting the right wall, then turning and running until she hit the left wall. This happened about four times before Nowaki intervened.

"Um, Hiro-san, this is Eri-chan," he said, holding the exercise ball out to him. She didn't look amused at the interruption in her mission. "She was going to be eaten by the snakes, so I saved her."

"Of course you did." Hiro-san rolled his eyes, but he took the rodent from him and went to put her in the cage. Nowaki blinked in confusion, but decided to just start dinner.

When it was ready, Nowaki looked into the living room to see Hiro-san with Eri-chan on his lap. He was petting and talking to her.

"Hiro-san?" He walked in, earning a glare from both man and guinea pig. Nowaki couldn't help but smile. "You like her, don't you?"

"She's pretty smart," Hiro-san admitted.

They stared at each other for a bit before Nowaki said, "Dinner's ready."

"Give us a minute."

As Nowaki went back into the kitchen, he realized why he picked Eri-chan specifically: she was like a smaller, more rodent-like version of his lover. Of course, he knew if he ever told Hiro-san that, he wouldn't get away with it.

**I had a guinea pig like Eri-chan when I was a kid. She did indeed have a very sour attitude towards most things, but she was cute as hell. Just like Hiro-san :D**


	4. The Students' First Truth

The Students' First Truth

If there was one thing Miyagi prided himself on, it was keeping his personal life and his work separate. Oh sure, there were the times when Shinobu insisted on going into his office and starting something, but it wasn't like he had constant, public relationship drama like Hiroki did. He was too old for that crap. He knew there used to be rumors that he and Hiroki had something, but those died down after that huge boyfriend of his caused a scene outside their office.

He was, he liked to believe, completely under the radar when it came to his constantly gossiping students. And he liked it that way. Of course, when the dean of literature went on a conference for a few days, he should've known that Shinobu would take the opportunity.

"All right, get out of here," Miyagi said when he noticed the time. His class had been over for a couple of minutes, but unlike Hiroki, his students didn't seem to care. It was good to be liked. "Finish reading the book and we'll discuss the ending next class." He shut the hardback book on his desk and watched as his students drifted out. Then he sighed and checked his bag for cigarettes; all he found was an empty carton.

His eye twitched. Shinobu had emptied out his cigarettes again. He just knew it; he wasn't spacey enough to carry around an empty carton for half the day. He shoved the thing in the trash and gathered up his papers before heading to his office. Risako had always been telling him he needed to quit, and it seemed her little brother took after her in that respect. Of course, if he ever said that, he knew Shinobu would deny it with all his heart. Comparing past and present lovers was dangerous, but when they were brother and sister? Landmines ahoy.

Miyagi finally looked up as he stood there at his office door, reaching for his key since he knew Hiroki would be out at that point. Then he looked to his side and there was Shinobu, slumped on the floor and asleep. His last class had been a two hour one, and Shinobu must've been waiting a good amount of that time.

Students were passing by, so Miyagi had no idea why he thought it would be a good idea to wake Shinobu up. But he did, anyway. "Shinobu-chin," he said, shaking the younger's shoulder. He was immediately greeted by being pulled down by the front of his shirt into a kiss. He didn't even have time to respond before Shinobu pushed him away.

"Where the hell were you?" he asked.

Miyagi was dumbfounded for a few seconds before he said, "Teaching a class. You should know that by now."

Shinobu hmphed and stood up, stretching an arm in the air. "I brought lunch."

Miyagi heard this, but he was too busy being frozen on the floor under the stare of passing students, most he even knew from his classes.

Miyagi prided himself on not having constant, public relationship drama. But when your lover is Shinobu Takatsuki, you don't have to be fighting to cause a scene.

**I mostly write Egoist so Terrorist is unfamiliar to me, but I do love Shinobu and his lack of personal boundaries.**


	5. Usagi's First Truth

Usagi's First Truth

Sometimes, Usagi liked to just watch Misaki. It wasn't like he was doing it to be creepy, but he'd step out of his office to find Misaki hanging out the laundry or vacuuming or cooking, and he'd have those giant headphones of his on. He wouldn't even notice Usagi unless he looked up, which didn't usually happen until he was done with his task. At those times, he just couldn't help himself. His lover was comfortable and candid then, something he rarely achieved when he knew Usagi was around.

In a way, Usagi was jealous of those headphones. He knew, in the back of his mind, that it was pitiful being jealous of an inanimate object. However, Misaki would sing sometimes, too quietly for Usagi to hear the words but still, he saw his lips move. Misaki never sang for him.

Usagi noticed one day after he came home from dropping Misaki off at university, that Misaki had left his headphones and MP3 player out. He usually put them away in his room when he was done, but he had been in a rush that morning. Usagi would admit that it was his fault Misaki was in a rush, but he didn't really see how it was a bad thing. He was curious, though, about the thing that had been taking up so much of Misaki's attention lately, so he picked it up and turned it on.

It didn't immediately start playing something, so Usagi went into the actual files. He found hardly any music, but there were a ton of audio books. As Usagi scrolled through them, he realized that they were all his non-BL titles. Usagi knew there was usually a clause in his book contracts allowing for audio versions, but he never thought much of it. He liked actually reading the book.

Usagi couldn't help smiling down at the thing, though. When he first saw the headphones and MP3 player laying there on the table, he'd been tempted to hide them. Hell, he'd been tempted to go into Misaki's room when he wasn't there and hide them. But the fact that Misaki was thinking of Usagi even when he wasn't actually there just fed his ego. Usagi decided that Misaki wasn't going to get out of Usagi picking him back up after classes that day. They might even have sex right there in his car.

**Fun fact: there were a few things I was tempted to have be on Misaki's MP3 player, including English lessons and Nittle Grasper songs (if you don't know who Nittle Grasper is, shame on you!).**


	6. Risako's First Truth

Risako's First Truth

Risako bolted up in bed, sweat covering her face. She had had a strange dream, where she went to visit Shinobu and Miyagi only to find them passionately making out on Miyagi's couch. She had no idea where it even came from; sure, Shinobu had moved in with Miyagi a couple months ago, but he had said Miyagi already had someone. Even if Miyagi did lean that way now, Risako didn't see why those two would end up together. The huge age gap, for one.

She shook her head and looked at the clock. It was eight o'clock on Sunday, so she could sleep in if she wanted. She was kind of afraid to, though; what if she had more dreams like that? She pushed the dream out of her mind as she physically pushed back the covers and reached for her cell phone. It was a great day to have lunch with Shinobu.

"I still think Mom and Dad put you up to this," Shinobu muttered a few hours later as they sat in a family restaurant. They had just ordered, and Risako fiddled with the straw in her iced tea. Shinobu had agreed to go out with her, but he didn't look one bit happy about it.

"Oh Shinobu. Unlike you, I'm not under their thumb anymore," she said. "I just wanted to see you. What's wrong with wanting to talk to my baby brother?"

Shinobu eyed her as if saying 'you never want to talk to me' but not actually saying it. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes before Risako laughed and leaned back. "I had the strangest dream last night, and you were in it." Shinobu didn't look interested, but Risako went on, anyway. She wanted him to confirm that it was just crazy. "I went to visit you and Yoh, and when I got to your apartment, you two were kissing. Isn't that funny?"

"What's so funny about it?" Shinobu had a sour look on his face. Not that he didn't often have a sour look on his face, but it was tinged with something else. If Risako had to think about it, she'd say that Shinobu had taken offense at that.

"Well I can't imagine you and Yoh together. I know from personal experience that he's straight." Risako pasted a pleasant smile on her face, but it fell under Shinobu's glare. She averted her eyes to her drink. She was about to ask the question that had been on her mind since waking up, but the waiter arrived with their food. Another awkward silence ensued before Risako said, "The chicken here is really very good."

"I guess."

**The general idea for this has actually been tumbling around in my mind for a while. Poor Risako.**


	7. Hiroki's First Truth

Hiroki's First Truth

Nowaki hadn't owned much when he moved in with Hiroki, just a week's worth of regular clothes, some formal outfits, text books, the books he'd borrowed from Hiroki, the bag of letters, and a trunk full of various things. He kept it in the corner of their bedroom and Hiroki had never seen him open it. In fact, they had both started piling things on it due to its utter lack of use. Hiroki began to suspect that it was empty.

Finally, his curiosity got the better of him, and he had to know. Of course, he wasn't willing to just ask Nowaki, so on a day when Hiroki had a few hours to himself because of their different schedules, he decided to take a look.

"Don't tell Nowaki," he said to Eri-chan, who he had let loose in her exercise ball before going into the bedroom. She had followed him in there and just stared at him when he said that. "What? I have to keep _some_ of my pride."

Eri-chan lost interest and rolled herself down the hall.

Hiroki cleared the various things from the top of the trunk and pulled the cover up; there weren't latches or any kind of lock, so he had no trouble. When he finally got a look at what was in it, he just stared. The trunk was full of various things that looked like they belonged to a child. Broken toy cars, building blocks in various states that had clearly been the victims of a child who was teething, clothing in varying sizes, and a photo album. Hiroki picked up the pocket-sized thing and opened it so he could flip through.

He couldn't help but smile. Each page contained Nowaki at a different year, from infancy to mid-teens, he guessed when he moved out of the orphanage at last. Except for when he was a baby, he wore formal clothes, some years an uncomfortable-looking suit, other years a school uniform. The one that must've been for junior high looked about two sizes too small on him in its last year of use. The end of junior high was clearly when Nowaki started growing into the giant he was by then.

He heard a crash, and he jumped up and dropped the album into the trunk before replacing the lid. He discovered he didn't need to worry about being caught, though; it was just Eri-chan, knocking over one of his book piles. She started squealing in distress even though her exercise ball protected her. Hiroki shook his head and picked her up. Maybe when Nowaki got back, he'd casually get him to tell some childhood stories.

**This came from a writing prompt, but Nowaki does seem like he'd keep what little he did own as a kid.**


	8. The Neighbors' First Truth

The Neighbors' First Truth

At three AM, fire alarms started going off all around Hiroki and Nowaki's apartment building. Hiroki screamed as they woke him up, but he wasn't able to bolt up; Nowaki was there with him that night, and he was secured tightly in the larger man's arms. Hiroki's screaming woke Nowaki up, though, and he just looked confused as more and more alarms went off.

"Hiro-san? What's going on?" he asked, still half asleep. He withdrew his arms, and Hiroki jumped out of bed. By then, both men could hear as people scrambled to leave their apartments. Some stopped at the elevator, but some were too panicked to wait that long and the door to the stairs was thrust open and slammed shut.

Finally an alarm right outside their front door went off, and Eri-chan squealed in panic in her cage out in the living room. Hiroki scowled. "Get outside, I'll get Eri-chan and meet you there."

"Hiro-san-" Nowaki started to protest, but Hiroki glared at him, and Nowaki was too sleepy to protest any further. He nodded and left, not bothering to pull on a jacket or shoes. Nowaki's bare upper half briefly distracted him, but Hiroki shook his head.

Hiroki and Nowaki had just moved into the apartment building about a month ago, so they didn't know their neighbors that well. And of course, their neighbors didn't know them, either. A woman with a crying infant in her arms glanced at Nowaki as he emerged from the building, half-dressed and looking disheveled.

"Is she okay?" Nowaki asked in alarm as the baby started coughing.

The woman just shook her head. "It was our apartment, our heater caught fire and now the smoke's all over our floor. I think she inhaled some."

Nowaki's eyes went wide, and he ran for it without really thinking. The woman watched him, a look of panic on her face. She didn't even notice Hiroki leave the building, Eri-chan in his arms and wrapped in a towel so the little animal wouldn't inhale smoke herself. About two minutes later, though, Hiroki answered his phone and looked over to see Nowaki waving over from the convenience store across the street. He'd forgotten his wallet.

Once the baby was laid down on the grass, given a bit of water and a wet wash cloth to cool down (all courtesy of Hiroki, much to his scowling displeasure, at least at first) the mother sighed in relief. She stared down at her daughter before looking up at Nowaki. "Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate this." Nowaki just smiled, and the woman continued, "I don't think I've met you before. Did you just move in?"

Nowaki bowed. "I'm Nowaki Kusama, and this is Hiroki Kamijou. I guess we live on the same floor." Nowaki signaled towards Hiroki, who was sitting apart from them, grumbling about his books now that the baby was okay. Eri-chan looked equally distressed, but in her case, it was probably because of the alarms still going off. Once she ventured far enough on her towel and could eat a bit of grass, she was fine.

"Do you two… live together?" the woman asked, her eyebrows going up at the affectionate way Nowaki was looking at Hiroki.

"Yes," Nowaki said, nodding. "We did just move in, but I'm a pediatrician at the hospital so I'm not around as much as I'd like to be."

The woman watched as Nowaki bowed and walked over to Hiroki. Everyone who'd evacuated the building looked panicked, irritated, or some combination of the two, but Nowaki smiled and sat down beside Hiroki, leaning into him. Hiroki scowled at him but didn't push away.

Her baby was asleep now, so she picked the little girl up in her arms. She'd have to talk to these two later.

**Couldn't resist. That is all.**


	9. Misaki's Second Truth

Misaki's Second Truth

When Misaki got home from grocery shopping one evening, he was terrified to see Hiroki Kamijou sitting there on one of the couches beside Usagi. Misaki didn't have Hiroki for class anymore since finishing Japanese Literature, but he still had a knee-jerk reaction to the man. He flinched and slowly inched his way to the kitchen, hoping that Usagi and Hiroki wouldn't notice him.

"Misaki!" Too late. Usagi had noticed him, but Hiroki was scowling down at a pile of papers.

"I thought you wanted me to come look at one of your normal novels," he said. He stood up, but he kept the pile of papers under one arm and transferred them into his bag. "I should feed the whole thing to that rodent of Nowaki's." Hiroki glanced over to Misaki, and the younger man froze. No words were exchanged, though; Hiroki just scowled down at his bag and left.

Misaki's heart rate finally went down to normal as Usagi just sat there on the couch, looking satisfied. He was so utterly satisfied with himself that he didn't even feel the need to light up a cigarette. But then he looked thoughtful. "Rodent, eh? I would've thought that big guy would go for a more… substantial pet."

"Big guy?" Misaki said. He couldn't help but be curious.

Usagi looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "Hiroki's lover. Tall guy. You've seen him."

"Very funny, Usagi-san," Misaki said, laughing a little as he unpacked the ingredients for dinner and put the rest of the food away. "Next you'll be telling me you and Kamijou-sensei are friends."

"Yep. We grew up together." Usagi finally reached for his cigarettes and lit one, puffing the smoke out casually.

Misaki pointed a finger at him. "Oh, and I bet Kamijou-sensei had some big, unrequited crush on you for years, but you never acknowledged it because you were so caught up in Niichan. One day you and he had sex, because you were so heartbroken over Niichan that you were willing to pretend Kamijou-sensei was him. It went horribly wrong, but Kamijou-sensei now lives with a tall doctor and a guinea pig named Eri-chan, and you and he are still good friends even though Kamijou-sensei's lover kind of scares you."

Usagi just let his cigarette dangle from his lips, his eyes half-lidded. Then he took the cigarette between his fingers, blew out the smoke and said, "You're really good at that."

Misaki screamed, his entire body shaking in utter terror. Then he stormed up to his room, completely forgetting about making dinner. He needed a nap.

**The prompt from the website I go to said 'write about a brief but scary encounter with one of your old professors.' I think I walked right into this one. Or rather, Misaki did.**


	10. The Professor's First Truth

The Professor's First Truth

Part of being a pediatrician did involve knowledge of sexuality; Nowaki could be treating children as old as late teens, after all, and children were sexually active that early. Nowaki knew that firsthand. Hiro-san was twenty-three by then, but he was still eighteen. Besides taking his required classes, therefore, he used one of his health credits to take Human Sexuality. It was full of psychology students, mostly girls, who thought he was adorable.

The professor was a recently graduated woman who thought he was adorable as well. She almost felt guilty informing Nowaki of the intricacies of sexuality and a sexual relationship; she just knew he was a naïve little kid and she suspected he'd never had any experience with any of it. He was always sitting there at the front of the class, taking notes with enthusiastic vigor, though. He was probably the best student in the class.

About halfway through the trimester, she scheduled conferences to discuss class projects with her students. Nowaki was, of course, on track. She found herself asking about him when she glanced at the clock and saw there was still time. He easily told her that he grew up in an orphanage, and that he originally wanted to be a social worker for children.

"What made you change your mind?" she asked him.

Nowaki smiled and looked down at his lap. "I'd like to be able to support my loved ones, and I'd still be able to work with children this way."

"Ah. You want to have children of your own?"

"It would be nice, but it might be complicated," Nowaki said. His eyes drifted to the window, and then they lit up. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now." He bowed to his professor and stood, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

The professor watched out the window as Nowaki appeared in the courtyard just outside and approached a man sitting on a bench. She opened the window in time to hear him talking.

"Hiro-san!" he said, and the man looked up. "I thought you had class."

"Professor's sick. Thought maybe we could have lunch." Hiro-san averted his eyes to the ground when a huge smile came over Nowaki's face. "Wipe that grin off your face! It's not like it's even been that long since we've seen each other."

"But I'm always happy to spend time with Hiro-san," Nowaki said.

"Psh, you act like you didn't just destroy my ass last night," he muttered, earning another smile from Nowaki before the two went on their way.

The professor sat back in her chair, contemplating what she had just seen. She was by no means a bad judge of character, but Nowaki had seemed so utterly _innocent. _She wasn't sure she'd be able to look at him without giggling after that.

**For the lovely x, who has reviewed all the chapters so far in his/her lovely anonymity. And as a side note, Human Sexuality is the best and most awkward class I've ever taken.**


	11. The Neighbor's Second Truth

The Neighbor's Second Truth

Hiroki had the day off, and he decided to spend it unpacking and shelving his books. He'd been putting it off, mostly because it was such a daunting task. Even with all the books he kept in his office at the university, he still had boxes and boxes of them. The movers hadn't looked impressed, and Nowaki ended up giving them a generous tip when it was all done.

It was around lunch when there came a knock at the door. Hiroki's book cases were spread all over the apartment, and he was currently in the living room, shelving some academic journals. Those were safe to keep out for prying eyes, unlike, say, the BL novels Akihiko insisted on "gifting" him. Hiroki was in full work mode in old, comfortable clothes and a bandana keeping his hair back. He even had his glasses on, since it made it easier for him to read the spines of the books as he put them away.

He looked at the door, annoyed, but decided to answer it, anyway. He kind of avoided looking out into the hall since there was so much smoke damage to the ceiling and upper parts of the walls, but it's not like he could entirely avoid it. The woman from the other night was at the door, holding her baby girl in her arms.

"Um," she said, looking caught off-guard. She'd probably been hoping Nowaki would answer the door. She hadn't spoken once to Hiroki beyond a thank you for the water and washcloth. "Is… Kusama-san home?"

"Work. He'll be back this evening," Hiroki said, cutting straight to the point.

"Do you… not work?" she asked. She couldn't help being curious about it.

Hiroki made a sour face. "I'm a professor. There are no classes on Sunday, so I have the day off." He clearly didn't like that she was under the impression that he was some kind of stay-at-home housewife or something.

The woman wasn't deterred, however. She saw the huge piles of books on the floor. "Would you like help? That's an awful lot of books to put away yourself."

The only sound between Hiroki and the woman was the baby gurgling a bit, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere. Hiroki wanted to chew her out, but for some reason, he decided not to. He just kept imagining what Nowaki would say if he found out.

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "I was about to start lunch. Would you… like some?"

"That would be good," the woman said. "Our oven was damaged in the fire, so I've been living off instant noodles."

Hiroki nodded and headed for the kitchen, leaving the woman standing there in the living room. She glanced everywhere, from the guinea pig cage to the pile of books and boxes. Curiously, she went over to one of the unopened boxes and looked at the label.

"Yayoi… Akikawa?" she asked, blinking a couple times. It took her a bit, but she finally remembered the name: Akikawa was a fairly successful BL writer.

"What's your name?" Hiroki called from the kitchen. It wasn't like he cared, but he'd have to call her something if she was helping him shelve his books.

"Mai Sato," she said, her eyes still on the box. She was tempted to open it just to confirm, and when Hiroki didn't appear, she carefully laid her daughter down and did just that. Sure enough, she was greeted with piles of BL novels, with covers of boys staring seductively up at her. Without thinking, she said, "Kamijou-san, mind if I borrow some of these?"

Hiroki looked out into the living room to see what she was talking about, and his face instantly darkened. Mai yelped and closed the box. "I'll take that as a no!"

**Since so many people wanted it, a continuation with the neighbor. And Mai is apparently a fangirl.**


	12. Shinobu's First Truth

Shinobu's First Truth

If there was one thing that pissed Shinobu off, it was how Miyagi was constantly flirting with that assistant of his. Miyagi was always saying there was nothing between them, but Shinobu didn't believe it. Miyagi was a shameless flirt, and his assistant was probably a very lonely man.

Shinobu decided one day to pay Miyagi a surprise visit at lunch. His surprise visits were always when he caught the two fooling around, after all, and just thinking about it made him want to punch something (namely, Miyagi's crotch). It wasn't like he enjoyed catching his lover cheating on him, but if it was happening, he wanted to know.

He stopped outside the office the two shared, debating whether to knock or just barge in. He could probably catch them even if he knocked first. Of course, hearing the assistant's voice just pissed him off more.

"Stupid, don't do this here," the man said. "Someone could walk in any minute."

_Yeah, like me,_ Shinobu thought, scowling. He was about to reach for the doorknob when a hand fell on his head. He looked up to see Miyagi smiling down at him.

"You should know by now I have class," he said. "I doubt Kamijou would appreciate you barging in."

"Wait." Shinobu looked absolutely confused. "If you're here, who's in there with him?"

Miyagi looked amused as he reached to open the door himself. "Oi, Kamijou, this isn't the place. Innocent eyes are watching."

Shinobu stopped and stared at the two men in the office. Kamijou was scrambling away from a tall, spacey-looking man who didn't look nearly as panicked at being caught.

"Hah, you're hardly innocent," Kamijou said, picking his bag up off his desk. "And neither is that brat of yours. I'm going to lunch." The man followed Kamijou out, an easy smile on his face.

Miyagi looked relieved when the door shut and the two were out of sight.

"What's with you?" Shinobu asked, his eyes narrowing.

"That guy has actually delivered on his violent threats," he said. He widened his eyes a bit as he rubbed his neck where Kamijou's lover had practically choked him all those months ago.

"You probably deserved it." Shinobu folded his arms and sat down on the couch, watching as Miyagi put away his class materials.

"Heh, yeah," Miyagi said without thinking. He jumped in terror when he saw Shinobu glaring daggers at him. "I mean of course not!"

"Just keep digging yourself deeper, old man."

**Just because I figured I should write more Terrorist (even though no one actually said so).**


	13. The Nurse's First Truth

The Nurse's First Truth

Even as an intern, Nowaki made fast friends with many of the staff at Mitsuhashi Hospital. It was just the way it was with him; there were hardly any people he met that didn't like him. It worked to his advantage sometimes, such as when he met Hiroki. The man clearly wasn't friendly to most people, but Nowaki managed to break past those barriers and had been with him for seven years.

Sometimes, when Nowaki walked the halls doing rounds in the pediatric unit, he'd notice some of the nurses were more friendly to him than they usually were. He would smile at them and be on his way, politely declining having the relevant meal with them even if he didn't have an excuse to. He usually just ate down in the cafeteria with Tsumori, since it was only once in a blue moon that Hiroki worked up the courage and met him there during a shift.

"That pretty lady likes you, Nowaki," Tsumori said with a grin on his face as he got coffee while Nowaki just drank water. Tsumori had a double shift into the night, but Nowaki was leaving.

Nowaki looked over to her, and as if that was all the invitation she needed, the nurse walked over. She was still dressed in her crisp, white uniform, but she had a purse over her shoulder and looked like she was leaving.

"Kusama-san, I was wondering if you'd like to get dinner, since ours shifts end together tonight," she said. Her voice was delicate and her body was small. Nowaki just stared at her, trying to come up with a polite way to decline; normally if it was outside of work, he might have, but he had promised Hiroki he'd be home for dinner.

"Hah, that cranky little Hiro-san of yours wouldn't like that, Nowaki," Tsumori said, grinning over his disposable coffee cup.

Nowaki looked over to him, his eyes kind of glazed over. "No, I suppose not." He turned to the nurse. "I'm very sorry."

"Oh, no, I am!" the nurse said, looking embarrassed. "I had no idea you had a girlfriend, Kusama-san."

Tsumori snorted in amusement but said nothing, even when both Nowaki and the nurse stared at him. Finally he gulped down the last of his coffee and said, "Yep, our Nowaki is quite the lady killer, isn't he?"

Nowaki had a sheepish look on his face as the nurse bowed and made a quick getaway.

**Meh, I've tried to balance out the couples I cover in these, but Egoist is my favorite. Oh well.**


	14. The Sometimes Truth

The Sometimes Truth

Sometimes, early in the morning after a night when they'd had sex, Hiroki found himself waking up with a smile on his face and not knowing why in his half-asleep state. Then he'd feel Nowaki there beside him and he'd know that he was utterly at peace. He'd fall back asleep, and unfortunately, that sense of peace didn't last when he woke up again and had to get to work. Sometimes he wished that it did, but then, the students would probably think that Kamijou the Devil was getting soft, and there was no way he could let that happen. He had his reputation and his pride to uphold.

Sometimes, early in the morning on one of the few days that Nowaki didn't have to get up early for a morning shift at the hospital or to open at the flower shop, he found himself wrapping his arms around Hiroki with a smile on his face. He was paying more attention to the man's presence than anything, so he didn't notice Hiroki wake up and smile for himself. If Nowaki did notice this, he'd hug him even tighter. A genuine smile was hard to get from his older lover.

Sometimes, if Nowaki had the time, he liked to visit Hiroki at the university. Hiroki had long-since given up telling Nowaki not to, mostly because he'd show up at the office with no warning, and making a big deal out of it just caused a scene. If Miyagi was there in the office they'd go out, but if Miyagi was gone, they'd eat there. Or Nowaki would get affectionate.

Sometimes, when Hiroki had an afternoon class, he would walk in with a smile on his face that positively frightened the students who had gotten used to him only expressing blind fury. There was whispering after class as the students left as they tried to figure out just what made Kamijou the Devil happy enough to smile for his students, but none of them seemed to see anything out of the ordinary.

And sometimes, all of these things would happen at once, and sometimes, not a single thing would go wrong with Hiroki's day, which would leave him smiling as he packed away his things. Even Miyagi flirting with him couldn't deter him, not much, and he would gladly put papers in his briefcase to grade at home.

Of course, in that particular instance, he always ended up getting distracted.

**Different from my other ones so far, but I just got the idea in my head and couldn't leave it alone.**


	15. Hiroki's Second Truth

Hiroki's Second Truth

Hiroki could be working on his thesis, but instead, he was spending Christmas Eve with Nowaki, scowling up at the sky as if he could make it stop snowing. It fell upon them gently, covering Hiroki's bucket-style hat with puffy, white flakes as they left the train station. It had been a long time since he had left his apartment for an extended amount of time when it wasn't for classes; the closer he got to graduation, the more stress he felt.

"It's just over here, Hiro-san," Nowaki said. He had his hands stuffed in his coat pockets, mostly to keep himself from grabbing Hiroki's hand. The man was volatile at best when it came to public displays of affection.

They were visiting the Kusama Orphanage. Ever since Nowaki went out on his own, he'd always go back on Christmas Eve and spend time with the children. He knew that eventually, he'd probably stop that tradition, but he wanted to share it with Hiroki at least once.

The place was lively as one of the caretakers ushered them in. Hiroki removed his hat and flattened out his hair as he looked around. They were in a lobby that seemed to act as a front office, but deeper in the building, he could hear children talking excitedly.

Before Hiroki was aware of what was happening, a woman had appeared and was enveloping Nowaki in a hug. Nowaki smiled and hugged her back, looking happy. Eventually, though, the two parted, and Nowaki saw the look of confusion on his lover's face.

"Hiro-san, this is the orphanage owner, Hotaru Kusama," Nowaki said. Hiroki bowed awkwardly, and when he stood up straight again, Nowaki wrapped an arm around him. "Hotaru, this is Hiroki Kamijou."

Hotaru had a powerful aura about her and graying hair, but she looked more than capable of keeping up with the children that were under her care. She smiled and bowed before saying, "I'm glad you could join us, Kamijou-san. Nowaki is always talking about you when he calls. I'm glad he's found someone special."

Hiroki turned away, trying to hide the blush that painted his cheeks at that. Hotaru ignored the flustered man and nodded towards the hallway.

"Come on. Some of us are making sugar cookies for tomorrow. I'm sure the children wouldn't mind if you helped, Nowaki."

"Hah, as if they need sugar," Hiroki said after listening to the children shrieking for about five minutes. Nowaki just smiled and took Hiroki's hand. Hiroki, for his part, didn't protest.

**Another for x, because she (you're a she now even if you weren't before; yay genderbending!) wanted more from the years between their meeting and Nowaki coming back from America.**


	16. The Classmate's First Truth

The Classmate's First Truth

There had been one other Japanese person in the American exchange with Nowaki. Of course, they hadn't gotten close just because they were both from Japan; Nowaki, as always, had attracted people to him during that time like he was some kind of social magnet. The Japanese man, named Jun, hadn't worked his butt off to complete the two year program in one year, however, so he got back to Japan long after Nowaki had settled back into his normal routine.

When he returned, however, he had the compulsion to get in touch with Nowaki, just to catch up. He had an old address, but no phone number. When he went there, he learned from the landlord that Nowaki had moved. When he checked out the new address, he'd found Nowaki had moved again. It seemed a bit excessive to Jun, and if he went to the forwarding address only to find Nowaki had moved once again, he might have just given up.

When he knocked on the door, he did almost give up. The man that answered certainly wasn't Nowaki; he looked nothing like him, in fact, and he had a glare on his face like Jun's mere presence was a problem for him.

Jun managed to gather up his courage, however. He gulped and said, "Does Nowaki Kusama live here?"

The man glanced back, and Jun finally noticed that Nowaki was on the couch, watching TV with a guinea pig in his lap. Nowaki looked over, curious, and then he smiled. "Jun-san! You finally finished the program, huh?" He put the guinea pig in its cage and walked over, relieving the man of door duty. The man scoffed and went over to a bookcase, as if that were more interesting than what was going on.

"Who's that?" Jun asked, his eyes following the man across the room.

Nowaki smiled. "That's Hiro-san. I've told you about him."

Yes, Nowaki had mentioned Hiro-san, but not often. Jun figured it was because Nowaki would start missing his lover too much if he talked excessively. He had been so vague, however, that gender had never come up. Jun had assumed that Hiro-san was a nickname for a woman named Hiroko, or Hiromi. The cranky man muttering to himself as he transferred a pile of books from the coffee table onto his bookshelf was far from how he imagined the 'adorable Hiro-san' that Nowaki had talked about those few times.

Seeing Jun was hesitant, though, Nowaki smiled. "Would you like to come in?" he said, waving to the inside of his apartment. Jun finally snapped out of it and nodded. Nowaki was still Nowaki, after all.

**As I was looking through a list of Japanese names for Jun, I was tempted to name him Hiroaki. It's a real name! It means "widespread brightness."**


	17. Miyagi's First Truth

Miyagi's First Truth

Miyagi had never actually seen Shinobu study. Obviously he absorbed the material somehow, if he was consistently at the top of his class. He just couldn't imagine actually seeing the boy sit down and read through his textbooks, making notes on things, or reading through handouts from classes he took. Then again, Miyagi wasn't even sure what classes Shinobu took. He knew he was going for a law degree, but that was about it.

Given all this, Miyagi was positively baffled when he got home from the university one day to find Shinobu sitting there on the floor of the living room, three different textbooks open in front of him. He didn't actually have a notebook or anything, but he was reading the one directly in front of him. Miyagi stood there for a good three minutes, and Shinobu turned the page twice in that time.

Of course, when Shinobu noticed Miyagi standing there staring at him, he got a flustered look on his face and he quickly scrambled to pick the textbooks up.

"Don't mind me, Shinobu-chin," Miyagi said, and he couldn't help but have a smile on his face as he hung up his coat and tossed his briefcase on the couch. Shinobu was on his knees at that point, the textbooks in his arms, and Miyagi ruffled his hair. "I guess even kids at the top of their class have to study, huh?"

"I didn't know you'd be home so early," Shinobu mumbled, as if being caught studying was as embarrassing as being caught masturbating. For Shinobu it was the same, really; an unspoken act that others knew had to happen, but he certainly didn't want anyone to witness it. Of course, he'd been masturbating less since moving in with Miyagi, and he'd been studying less, too. The reason for both of these wasn't always different.

Miyagi just smiled, the edges of his mouth quirking up in a way that made Shinobu wild. Without a word he tossed the textbooks onto the couch beside Miyagi's briefcase and pulled the older man down to him into a kiss.

"What, I don't get dinner first?" Miyagi teased when Shinobu came up for air.

"We're out of cabbage."

"We can go out."

Shinobu just glared at him, and they kissed again. Going out was obviously not an option.

**A dash of Terrorist to spice things up after so many Egoist chapters :P**


	18. The Nurse's Second Truth

The Nurse's Second Truth

Nowaki had to work until eleven pm, and the last thing he did when he was leaving the apartment, just as Hiroki was getting back, was kiss his lover goodbye. Of course, this fact made him completely forget to pick up the dinner he had packed for himself; when Nowaki was paying attention to Hiroki, it was amazing he remembered to wear pants, quite honestly.

Given that he usually ate in the cafeteria anyway, he was willing to drudge up a few hundred yen coins from his wallet and get something. Which was why he was surprised when he was told he had a visitor and found Hiroki sitting there in one of the waiting rooms, Nowaki's dinner on his lap.

"Hiro-san!" Nowaki said, looking pleased. Hiroki looked up, a scowl on his face, and Nowaki noticed that Hiroki had two dinners with him. "Oh, Hiro-san, are we going to eat together today?"

"I thought maybe we could eat outside, or something…" Hiroki mumbled, looking away so Nowaki couldn't see his face.

This just made Nowaki's grin even larger. "Would you like to sit on the fountain up front?"

"Whatever!" Hiroki huffed, and he stood, thrusting the meal bag at Nowaki. Nowaki just kept smiling as he followed his stomping lover outside.

Hiroki had calmed down by the time he got to the large, stone fountain, and he was just kind of huffy as he took out the cucumber sandwich he made for himself. Nowaki was about to sit down as well when someone called out to him.

"Kusama-san!" It was the same nurse that had invited him out to eat a few nights ago. It seemed her shift was ending and she was just leaving. She had been heading for the employee parking lot when she saw him. Hiroki went unnoticed until she got closer. "Ah, who's this? I don't think I've seen him before."

Hiroki completely ignored her, a put-out look on his face, but Nowaki smiled warmly. "This is Hiroki Kamijou. He stopped by so we could have dinner together."

"Ah, it's nice to meet you, Kamijou-san," the nurse said, bowing deeply. "I'll see you later, Kusama-san. Have a good night."

It was only when she got to the parking lot that she remembered what Tsumori had said the other day when she asked Nowaki out, about how Nowaki's 'cranky little Hiro-san wouldn't like that.' She turned back just in time to see Nowaki kiss Hiroki, and for Hiroki to flip out and hit him over the head before going back to eating. Nowaki didn't look like he minded though.

The nurse knew she'd be telling this to her coworkers on her next shift.

**Fun fact: I am from northern Maine and only recently figured out that I'm like the only one of my online friends that says supper instead of dinner. Even my college friends who are from counties further south than mine look at me weird when I say it. Silly English dialects.**


	19. The Classmate's Second Truth

The Classmate's Second Truth

Jun had seen Nowaki, and by extension Hiroki, a few times, and he still couldn't figure something out. The 'adorable Hiro-san' he had been expecting was nowhere to be found. Hiroki Kamijou was good-looking, Jun would admit, but his mannerisms wouldn't be earning him any good citizen awards. He found himself watching the man when he wasn't looking, trying to figure out what Nowaki saw in him.

Maybe he just wasn't around the two enough. Surely there had to be something keeping Nowaki tied to the man for so many years. Jun began pondering this as he sat in their living room. Hiroki had called Nowaki to say he'd be staying at work late, so Jun was invited over for dinner.

"Hey Nowaki-san, what does Kamijou-san do for a living?" Jun asked, because it had been bugging him. All Nowaki's lover seemed interested in was books; he always had his nose in one even if they met out in public. More than once, Nowaki had to direct him away from a collision, either with another person or with something less animate and more bolted-down.

"He's a literature professor," Nowaki said, gently stirring a pot of stew and not taking his eyes away from it.

"I guess he'd be good at that, huh?" Jun said, looking at the tall bookshelves pushed against two walls. They were both full, and if Nowaki was telling the truth, there were even more in their bedroom and the guest room that ended up being Hiroki's study.

"I'm told he's very violent." Nowaki tasted the stew before reaching up into the cupboards for some spices. "He'll throw things at his students if they aren't paying attention."

Somehow, Jun could believe that, but the fact that Nowaki said it so calmly threw him for a loop. Nowaki finally looked back at him and saw his expression. "Hiro-san isn't really so bad," he said, bringing the stove's temperature down to low. "He has a bad temper, but he also has a sweet side." Jun quirked an eyebrow. "He sent me flowers the day I passed the high school proficiency test. He was so bashful about it. When I got to his apartment he was waiting for me, but he tried so hard to make it look like he was just going about his day that he ended up holding a book upside down."

Before Jun had much time to contemplate this, the door opened. Nowaki and Jun both looked over to see Hiroki, slipping off his shoes. "I'm home, Nowaki. Brought work with me, though."

Disregarding the fact that they had an audience, Nowaki walked right over to Hiroki and placed a kiss on his lips. Hiroki blushed faintly as Nowaki said, "Welcome home, Hiro-san."

Jun didn't have a hard time wondering why Nowaki was with Hiroki after that.

**Continuation, because at least one person asked for it. As I said in the beginning, reviewers can feel free to suggest 'truths' they want to see, even though ideas come to me for this pretty easily XD**


	20. Hiroki's Third Truth

Hiroki's Third Truth

There was a bookstore that Hiroki stopped at sometimes. He didn't usually frequent the large ones that always had the newest books on the day of release; if he went to a bookstore, it tended to be a used one that would have dusty, well-worn copies of classic literature. There was one right by his and Nowaki's apartment that he stopped by so much, the owner recognized him and stopped looking at him suspiciously when he would take an old book and just inhale the smell of the pages.

Still, when Akihiko had a new book out, he liked to just drop by and see if there was a huge line to get it. Sometimes there was, sometimes there wasn't, though he had his suspicions that if there wasn't, he was just too late. He had long-since given up his habit of buying three copies of each book, though he would still get one. He knew Akihiko would probably give him a copy if he asked, but since when would Hiroki ask such a thing of _anyone_?

There was a crowd around the display for Akihiko's new book, and Hiroki had to push through it since they didn't seem to be actually taking any. They were just standing there, staring and gasping like the author himself was there. He heard one of them mention that Yayoi Akikawa had a new book out as well, and Hiroki shook his head. He had that one; Akihiko still thought it was funny to send them to him.

Hiroki abandoned the idea of checking out at the front; there was such a long line that he knew he'd get pissed off at it before he reached the counter. There was a checkout at the manga department, though. He'd seen it because the BL novels were right next door, and he did sometimes wonder how well the Akikawa novels did. Not that he'd admit that.

He didn't pay attention to the man checking him out until he had his book in a bag, and then he looked up. He jumped back, startled. The man had to be at least as tall as Nowaki. "What the hell?" Hiroki said before he could stop himself. "Why is everyone so freaking tall?"

The man looked confused, but Hiroki restrained himself from saying anything else. He got a quick glance of the nametag, and made a note to avoid 'Yukina' the next time he was at the store. He still had a bit of a complex when it came to his height.

**Ninja crossover with Sekaiichi Hatsukoi. For those who've only seen the anime, Yukina is in the third pairing that hasn't shown up yet along with Ritsu's coworker, Kisa Shouta. I'm pretty sure at this point all the males that work for Marukawa are gay. I'm not complaining!**


	21. Misaki's Third Truth

Misaki's Third Truth

Misaki hadn't seen Usagi in days. Well, that wasn't true. In the middle of the night, Misaki would wake up and hear Usagi going down to the kitchen and fixing coffee. Coffee seemed to be the only thing Usagi could successfully prepare for himself without setting the entire place on fire. When Usagi wandered out of his office, Misaki would peek out of the door of his room, careful not to let Usagi see him. The man had a deadline looming and hadn't slept in days. If he wasn't wandering out for caffeine, Misaki could hear him tapping away at his computer.

The previous night, though, Aikawa had been by, and she didn't leave in a panic. In fact, she had Usagi's manuscript and was slipping the hefty stack of pages into a tote bag for easier carrying. It seemed that Usagi was finally done with his latest book, and Misaki decided to make breakfast for the first time in a few days.

When Usagi slipped out of his room, not looking completely refreshed but certainly less haggard than he had in days, he stared down at the plate Misaki had set down. He had made an American-style breakfast, with bacon, pancakes and sunny-side up eggs. Misaki was afraid that Usagi would freak out at it, but surprisingly, he didn't.

Usagi just kept staring at the plate as if it were sunshine and it was the first time he had been out in years. Misaki took his cooking apron off and was about to sit down for himself, but Usagi wasn't going to let him. The older man hauled Misaki by the shirt over the table and mashed their lips together.

Misaki blushed furiously, but to his surprise, Usagi didn't try to haul him up to the bedroom. Usagi just sat down and clasped his hands together, muttering the traditional meal phrase before digging in. Misaki was positively flabbergasted that he didn't have to fight off Usagi's perverted advances, especially since they hadn't even done anything in a week.

"Usagi-san, are you feeling alright?" Misaki asked, and he was brave enough to reach forward and put his hand on Usagi's forehead. It was just as cold as the man's hands.

Usagi took Misaki's hand, squeezing it before letting it go. "I missed your cooking, Misaki," he said. This shut Misaki up, and all the younger man could do was blush even more and sit down to eat.

**Another one from that prompt website, it said to 'describe a plate of sunshine.' Didn't exactly do that but oh well :D**


	22. The Students' Second Truth

The Students' Second Truth

With a new school year came a new crop of students for Hiroki to teach (and by teach, Hiroki really meant terrorize, of course). The freshmen right out of high school and the students who weren't freshmen but had transferred to M University didn't know a thing about Hiroki, and that included the little incident where he was chased down the hall by his (temporarily ex) boyfriend. There were those who knew about his Kamijou the Devil reputation, and that seemed to be more important on the rumor mill.

Of course, that had to be ruined one day, about three weeks into the year. It was, you see, the day that Nowaki and Hiroki first met. Nowaki counted it as their anniversary, since even he admitted the time he and Hiroki officially got together was hard to determine, even after they'd had sex. Hiroki had begrudgingly agreed to let Nowaki bring him out to dinner.

When his last class of the day was over, Hiroki was the first one out the door. His students were startled by this, considering Hiroki usually lingered in the room, glaring at his students and daring them to approach him with questions about the lessons or what the next essay was supposed to be about. They all looked at each other, trying to figure it out, when Miyagi approached Hiroki in the doorway. He looked incredibly amused.

"That giant lover of yours is waiting in our office," he said. "Got a hot date tonight?"

"Better than screwing the dean's teenage son, professor," Hiroki said, not missing a beat. Miyagi was caught off-guard enough for Hiroki to escape.

There was a murmur across the room after hearing that Kamijou the Devil actually had a lover. Many thought about what kind of woman would be able to put up with that famously violent temper, while others tried to understand what Miyagi had meant by 'giant.' Finally, one by one, they started down the hall. They all knew where the office was, so they could at least try to make it look like they weren't following Hiroki.

Nowaki was standing outside the office. Miyagi had offered to let him wait in there, but Nowaki had declined and let the man lock the door. "Hiro-san!" he called, sounding positively thrilled. All of the students stopped around a corner, some trying to get a better look as the tall man kissed Kamijou the Devil, with only slight resistance.

"Stupid, I told you to wait at home," Hiroki said, wiping his lips with the back of his dress shirt sleeve.

"I couldn't wait to see my Hiro-san," Nowaki said, a warm smile on his face as Hiroki unlocked the office door.

"I would've thought you'd be sick of me after seven years," Hiroki muttered as they headed into the office.

"Never." And Nowaki shut the door behind himself.

"Dude, he's gay?"

"Look at his boyfriend! That guy must be a saint to put up with him."

"Didn't Kamijou-sensei say they've been together for seven years?"

"Hah, maybe that tall guy is withholding sex; it would explain why he's always so cranky."

"For your information, he is not!" Hiroki flung hardback books out the office door. He had his coat on and his bag over his shoulder, and Nowaki just watched in amusement. "Now get the fuck out of my sight!"

The students scattered.

**For sweet sonia, because there are surprisingly few fics where Hiroki's students find out he's gay.**


	23. The Kamijous' First Truth

The Kamijous' First Truth

After the whole matchmaking fiasco, Hiroki could only take solace in the fact that his parents knew his address but not his phone number; he'd never given it to them after he changed it in his bid to cut all ties with Nowaki. So while he did get letters after that asking Hiroki to visit with his 'special someone,' he didn't actually have to hear his mother's voice telling him to do so.

Of course, it didn't help that she could just call up Akihiko and ask. And that's why Hiroki walked into the apartment after work one day to see Nowaki just answering the telephone. Of all the days for Nowaki to be done with his shift before Hiroki's classes ended.

"Hello?" he said, still holding a spatula in one hand. He'd been making dinner so Hiroki wouldn't have to wait long after he got home. Hiroki glanced at Nowaki over on the phone as he removed his shoes. He had no reason, at that point, to be suspicious, so he just went about his usual routine. "Yes, Hiroki Kamijou lives here. Hiro-san, someone's on the phone for you!"

"Who is it?"

"May I ask who's calling?" There was a short silence, and Hiroki took the opportunity to remove his tie. "Hiro-san, it's your mother."

Hiroki glanced at his tie, considering whether he would be able to choke himself with it. However, Nowaki put the phone in his hands and went back to making their meal.

"Good evening, mother," Hiroki said, making his voice as formal as possible. "To what pleasure do I owe this call?"

"Oh Hiroki, you don't have to be so formal," came his mother's voice. He could just imagine her standing there outside, gazing up at the trees with her ancient cell phone held to her ear. She never upgraded, saying she didn't need that kind of thing. She might've even been wearing a kimono. Hiroki had always found his mother to be ridiculous; she dressed like she was expecting important, traditional-minded guests every day. Admittedly, with his father's business associates going in and out, she was often right.

"But, Hiroki," his mother continued. "Your girlfriend sounds awfully masculine. Have you ever noticed that?"

Hiroki just stood there for about five seconds, considering his words. Finally he just sighed and ran a hand through his bangs. "I should hope _he_ does, Mother," he said.

When Nowaki entered the room to tell Hiroki that dinner was ready, he found his lover still standing there in the doorway, his face crimson-red as he reluctantly answered his mother's questions.

"Well, he's still an intern but…" he said, and he stopped, clearly being cut off by his mother's voice. "Well he works at a flower shop to earn money." He glanced over to see Nowaki. "Mother, dinner is ready. I have to go." And he ended the call before anymore could be said.

"How did it go, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked as he took the phone from him.

"She wants to meet you," Hiroki said, not looking too pleased. "She's absolutely thrilled that I 'managed to snag a doctor.'"

Nowaki just grinned and trapped Hiroki in a hug. "I'm looking forward to it, Hiro-san."

**Ah hah, I had to do it. All the fics where his parents find out I've read, they seemed to already know he was gay, so I thought I'd try something different.**


	24. The Sweet Truth

The Sweet Truth

Usagi wasn't a picky eater, really. Whatever Misaki made he'd eat. Unless, of course, it was sweet at all. It made it hard for Misaki sometimes, because every now and then he wanted dessert, but he felt bad making something and then being the only one to eat it. He thought about just getting himself a small cake from a bakery sometimes, but he never had the time. If he wasn't at school, he was back at the apartment, cleaning and doing his homework. Or other things that he didn't like thinking about.

"What's for dinner?" Usagi suddenly asked Misaki. He was sitting there on the couch with his laptop, a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he considered the screen.

Misaki glanced at the groceries he bought. He had managed to sneak out of the apartment to go shopping when Aikawa came over and started threatening bodily harm if Usagi didn't get at least halfway through his latest novel by the end of the week. Considering Usagi only had about twenty pages on the thing, Aikawa probably could've claimed the subway ticket as work expenses.

"Um, I was thinking pan-fried noodles," Misaki said. Usagi didn't look like he actually cared. "And I bought cake."

"What kind of cake?"

"Just a white cake, with butter cream frosting. I thought it would be nice. You didn't even have a cake on your birthday, Usagi-san." Misaki eyed the man as he started working. Usagi still looked indifferent. "Will you want a piece?"

"No thanks." Usagi took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew out smoke. He didn't even look at Misaki as he continued to work.

"Usagi-san, why don't you like sweet things?" Misaki said, sounding somewhat irritated.

"I like you, don't I?" Usagi said, the slightest hint of a smirk on his face as he went back to typing.

Misaki growled and lowered his head. He was not going to have that conversation.

**Random idea was random. But mm, cake.**


	25. The Kamijous' Second Truth

The Kamijous' Second Truth

Hiroki decided one evening that he should just stop leaving the apartment on days when Nowaki would have time there by himself. It was about two weeks after his mother called that he got back from the university to find said mother in his apartment, sitting at their table while Nowaki made dinner. She was, as he had imagined when she called, wearing a kimono, with her hair pulled back in a bun. She looked quite regal as she sat there sipping tea. All Hiroki could do was stand there, staring.

"Ah, Hiroki!" his mother said, being the first to notice him. She walked over to him, her arms spread out in a hug. All it did for her was make her look much bigger than she was, what with those long kimono sleeves. "You never got back to me about coming to visit with Kusama-san, so I thought I'd come to you."

Hiroki glanced around. "Father isn't here, is he?"

"Ah, another overseas business meeting," Hiroki's mother said, waving her hand as if waving the point away. Nowaki was paying attention to the soup he was making, or at least, that's what it looked like to Hiroki. He wouldn't have answered his mother's next question if he knew his lover was listening. "So why were you afraid of me meeting your boyfriend? He's positively delightful."

"Because you frighten me, Mother," Hiroki said, finally slipping off his shoes. He knew that he shouldn't have been afraid of his mother at his age, but despite the soft, sophisticated looks, she was an incredibly enthusiastic person.

"Hah, I bet he's introduced you to his parents," Hiroki's mother said, sounding hurt.

There was an awkward silence. Hiroki had met Hotaru, the woman who ran the Kusama orphanage, and he supposed she kind of counted as Nowaki's mother since he was never adopted. Still. "Ah, no, he hasn't," Hiroki said, deciding to leave that particular part up to Nowaki to tell, if he felt like it, later.

"Excuse me, I need to relieve myself," his mother said suddenly, and she trotted off to the bathroom. She smiled over at Nowaki, who was just turning the stove off.

Hiroki slumped down on the couch, looking exhausted.

"I like your mother, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, walking up behind the couch and draping his arms around his lover's neck. Hiroki didn't even bother fighting it. "She's much nicer than you led me to believe."

"I guess…" Hiroki looked up at Nowaki in time to receive a kiss. When they finally broke apart, Hiroki jumped in surprise. His mother was there, watching them with a smile on her face. "What, Mother?"

She looked positively thrilled. "Nothing."

**I realize I haven't even named Hiroki's mother XD Eh I will later. This isn't the last you'll be seeing of her.**


	26. The Bookstore Clerk's First Truth

The Bookstore Clerk's First Truth

She vaguely recognized the man from M University; she was a literature student, but she was in her first year and only had Kamijou as a teacher so far. Still, Miyagi was pretty high-up in the literature department, and most students at least knew who he was. She had actually been hoping she'd get him instead of Kamijou, given that she had heard of the man's reputation as incredibly short-tempered.

She watched in fascination as Miyagi entered the store, a boy maybe her age trailing behind him. She had only been working in the used bookstore for about a week, so she wasn't familiar with most of the customers and had no idea who the boy was. Maybe his son?

The store was old and didn't usually have more than two or three customers in it at any given time. She was the only one in there while her boss was out doing something, so she decided to go lurk the shelves, maybe rearrange some books that had been put back out-of-order. It wasn't like she was trying to spy on Miyagi and whoever that was with him. They just happened to be over in the section of how-to books, which included a large selection of cookbooks that the boy seemed interested in.

"What, you're finally giving up on cabbage?" Miyagi asked as the boy piled cookbooks indiscriminately in the older man's arms.

"You don't like cabbage?"

"I never said that, Shinobu-chin!" Miyagi said, clearly sounding panicked. The bookstore clerk had the feeling that this Shinobu wasn't that adept at cooking, but Miyagi didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"I told you I'd cook for you and I will!" Shinobu said. He took the cookbooks from Miyagi's arms and sat down on the floor, going through one. "You don't have to stand there staring at me. I'm not a child."

"Hah, if only that were true," Miyagi said. He slouched down and ruffled Shinobu's hair before leaning forward and kissing him, obviously not aware that they had an audience. "You know where to find me when you're done."

Shinobu didn't look impressed, but the bookstore clerk didn't get to see anymore, because she ran for it before she was spotted.

**I love used bookstores. They smell as good as libraries (and yes, I do sniff the pages of books; I was writing Hiroki from experience).**


	27. Miyagi's Second Truth

Miyagi's Second Truth

"I want to meet your parents."

Miyagi glanced up, surprised. Shinobu had been making dinner as usual and Miyagi had been sitting on the couch, getting some work done while he waited. Miyagi wasn't even sure where that had come from; they hadn't been talking about parents. In fact, they hadn't been talking at all. And perhaps the fact that Shinobu had been so quiet for almost an hour should've been Miyagi's first tip-off that he was thinking about something.

Miyagi laughed and closed his laptop. "You've met them, Shinobu-chin," he said, putting it on the coffee table. "They were there at the family gathering and when Risako and I got married." He jumped back when he felt a rather murderous aura coming off of his young lover, and he laughed nervously. "I'm just saying."

"No," Shinobu said, and he actually took the food out of the oven before he launched into his spiel. He was learning. "I want them to meet me as your lover. It's only fair."

"How is it fair? It's not like you can introduce me to your family as your lover," Miyagi said, rolling his eyes.

"That's because you're afraid of getting fired."

"With good reason!" Miyagi shook his head and reached for his cigarettes, only to find them missing. He rolled his eyes and just folded his arms, trying to ignore his nicotine cravings. When he finally looked over to Shinobu, the boy looked mad, and tears were forming in his eyes. "Shinobu-chin…"

"Never mind," Shinobu said, and he turned back around to the casserole he had prepared. "Just forget it. You're right, it's stupid."

He still sounded hurt, though, and Miyagi sighed, running a hand through his bangs. "Tell you what. I'll introduce you to them when you're legal. At least let me not look like a creepy old man."

"You are a creepy old man," Shinobu muttered. "And I'm turning twenty next year, anyway. You better keep your promise."

"I wouldn't dare break a promise to you, Shinobu-chin." He gave the boy a lopsided grin, which just made Shinobu flustered as he turned away. Miyagi knew then that it was no use resisting Shinobu; he always won, the little terrorist.

**It's true, twenty is the age of majority in Japan. It's like eighteen in the US only they can drink then, too. The more you know!**


	28. Nowaki's Second Truth

Nowaki's Second Truth

Hiroki had cried a lot less once their relationship was, for the most part, sorted out. It seemed silly that they had to be together for over six years before the big things were put to rest, but that's just how it was with someone like Hiroki, who tried to avoid things that made him uncomfortable.

That was why Nowaki was surprised when he woke up early in the morning to see his lover's face covered in tears. It took a few moments, but Nowaki realized that Hiroki was still asleep. It seemed that he was having a bad dream. He just laid there, though, gazing at Hiroki's face and not sure what to do. Finally, the alarm clock went off, and when Hiroki didn't wake up, Nowaki gently shook him.

"Hiro-san," he said. The man blinked, and Nowaki smiled. "Good morning, Hiro-san."

Hiroki groaned, not seeming to realize that he had tears streaking down his face. "What's so good about it?"

"Did you have a bad dream, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked. When Hiroki looked at him like he was crazy, Nowaki smiled and used the pad of his thumb to wipe some tears from his lover's face. "You were crying, Hiro-san."

"Ah, it was nothing." Hiroki averted his eyes, not wanting to look Nowaki straight-on. "I just… I don't remember it now." He was still visibly upset, though, and Nowaki didn't protest when Hiroki leaned into him, burying his face in Nowaki's bare chest.

"You're not going to leave again, are you?" Hiroki murmured, half hoping Nowaki wouldn't hear him.

"Of course not, Hiro-san. I wouldn't dream of it."

"Good."

**It's almost 3am, but I made the mistake of rereading Egoist manga acts three, four and five (episodes five and six in the anime) and I cried like a baby. And of course had to write. Writing is the answer to everything!**


	29. Misaki's Fourth Truth

Misaki's Fourth Truth

"Go get him! He'll listen to you!" Aikawa had said when the two discovered that Usagi had fled the apartment. He always went over to Hiroki's place to hide, and Aikawa knew where the man lived because she had been there a couple times just in the past month to try to drag Usagi back and finish his latest novel. The problem was, Aikawa seemed to be under the impression that Usagi wouldn't listen to her anymore, and that's how Misaki got stuck riding a subway to Kamijou the Devil's house.

Currently, however, he was sitting on one of the couches in the living room while Hiroki disappeared to wherever Usagi had fled to when he heard Misaki at the door. Nowaki was there at the time, and the man came in as Hiroki was shouting profanities, carrying two cups of tea. He flinched slightly when there was a loud thump, but then he just shook his head.

"I'm sorry you had to come all the way out here, Takahashi-san," Nowaki said, setting one of the mugs down on the coffee table in front of Misaki. "I'm sure you have better things to do than sit here, drinking tea with me."

Misaki picked up the mug and then stared at Nowaki over the top of it. "You're Kamijou-sensei's lover, right?" he said before he could stop himself. Nowaki hadn't introduced himself, though, and Misaki was curious.

"Yes," Nowaki said. He hadn't sat down yet, so he bowed. "I'm Nowaki Kusama."

"Oh! You work at that flower shop, right?" Misaki suddenly asked. Nowaki nodded vaguely, and Misaki blushed. "I'm sorry. I just went in for flowers a while ago, and you left an impression on me. You're… really tall."

Nowaki smiled as he went over to the guinea pig cage in the corner and took the rodent out. "Thank you, I suppose," he said. He was about to pick up the plastic exercise ball nearby when there was a thump.

"Bakahiko, get your ass out here! If you don't go home with Takahashi I know that editor of yours will be over here." There was some kind of noise that may have been Usagi talking. "This is my bedroom and you're locking me out." More noise. "Well I'm sure what we do in there is no worse than what you do to that teenaged lover of yours. I swear I am surrounded by men who try to compensate for their middle age by dating young boys." He eyed Nowaki, who looked somewhat amused. "Don't give me that look. I was in my early twenties when we met."

"How long have you two been together?" Misaki asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Seven years."

Misaki looked surprised, and Nowaki put the guinea pig in her exercise ball and set her loose. Then he reached over the cupboard and produced a key. He discretely gave it to Hiroki, and when the door was unlocked, Hiroki charged in. Usagi was soon tossed out, narrowly avoiding the guinea pig in its plastic ball.

When Usagi got into the living room, however, he said, "I feel like going out to eat."

Misaki sighed but nodded.

**Going home for the summer, and don't have internet at home. I'm interning at the library and they have wifi, but no random 3am updates anymore. Sorry D:**


	30. Haruhiko's First Truth

Haruhiko's First Truth

There were some things that Haruhiko was not prepared for, despite his best efforts. He wasn't prepared for Misaki to reject him so outright, for instance. He was not prepared for the time when he and Akihiko were teenagers and a bug infestation of their large home made their family have to flee for a few days to stay with the Kamijous with nothing much more than the clothes on their backs.

He was also, if it had to be said, not prepared for when he found out that the off-hand comment Misaki had made about Fuyuhiko wanting to take a bath with him was actually very much true. It wasn't that he didn't respect his father, but when it came down to it, he was a man in his thirties, and taking a bath with your parents is something that you only do when you're a little kid.

It's not that it would be awkward, necessarily, because every single bath in the Usami mansion was huge. Well okay, it would be incredibly awkward. And Haruhiko, being the composed, rational man he was, did not do awkward situations. That was probably why when he needed to wash himself, he made sure that his father was out at the time.

Haruhiko sank down in the water of his bath, just trying to relax after a day of following his father around to meeting after meeting. Fuyuhiko still had more to do, so he wasn't there at the time and Haruhiko took the opportunity. But as he lay there in the bath water, he noticed rubber ducks floating by. Fuyuhiko had started leaving the things in the tubs even when no one was using them, and Haruhiko really should've been used to them by now. That didn't make him sigh any less.

They were kind of cute, though, and made Haruhiko think that maybe his father really was trying. That didn't, of course, mean they were going to take a bath together.

**Turtle-chan wanted Haruhiko so badly that she actually dared to start a PM conversation with me, a terrifying ordeal to be sure. But there you go, darling :D**


	31. The Manga Artist's First Truth

The Manga Artist's First Truth

Takako Mitsuhara was an up-and-coming BL manga artist. She hadn't been at it for more than a couple years, but her name was already starting to be known. Which was probably why she was chosen when Yayoi Akikawa's latest BL novel was being turned into a manga. What she didn't understand was why Akikawa wasn't at any of the meetings to set up the project.

"Akikawa-sensei is writing the script, right? I think it would be beneficial for me to meet her, so we can share ideas." She stood there at the desk of Akikawa's editor, Eri Aikawa, looking determined.

Aikawa, however, was nervous. "Akikawa-sensei is a bit… eccentric. I think it would be best if you just communicated through me."

Mitsuhara wasn't going to accept that, though, and that's how Aikawa ended up bringing her to meet the one and only Yayoi Akikawa. Of course, it obviously wasn't as simple as that.

Aikawa unlocked the door, but the apartment seemed empty. Aikawa looked disappointed that they couldn't even hear the telltale signs of the two inhabitants having sex, as she had expected. As they entered the living room, though, they saw someone passed-out on the couch, a book covering their face.

"Is that…" Mitsuhara started, but Aikawa shook her head.

"Misaki-kun!" she yelled, and the boy jumped in surprise. "Where's that worthless writer?"

"Usagi-san? He went to get the mail. You didn't pass him on the way up here?" Then he noticed Mitsuhara, and he scrambled to his feet and bowed deeply. "I'm Misaki Takahashi. You must be the manga artist Aikawa-san called about."

"Takako Mitsuhara." She bowed, then looked around. "So will Akikawa-sensei be back soon?"

There was a strained silence as Misaki recognized Usagi's BL penname. "Ah, Mitsuhara-san, what kind of manga do you draw?"

"BL of course!" Mitsuhara smiled like she was extremely proud of herself. "Your name seemed to be used in a lot of Akikawa-sensei's novels. Are you related to her?"

A shiver ran up Misaki's spine, and he was glad Usagi wasn't there. He'd probably start getting ideas involving incest, and Misaki had been through enough.

"I'm back," came a soft murmur from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Usagi toss the mail on the counter. He seemed just a bit distraught at them staring at him. "What?"

Mitsuhara looked confused, so Aikawa jumped in. "Usami-sensei, this is Takako Mitsuhara. Mitsuhara-sensei, this is Akihiko Usami, also known as Yayoi Akikawa."

Mitsuhara's mouth fell open as she pointed at him in disbelief. Then she turned to Misaki. "And who's that?"

"His lover!" Aikawa said, grinning from ear-to-ear. Misaki blushed something fierce, and Mitsuhara could only faint, the tiniest bit of blood escaping her nose. She had clearly just experienced a BL overload.

**I couldn't help but think about this; I have a few BL titles that were novels first, such as Only the Ring Finger Knows, and with how popular Usagi's BL novels are, surely they've been optioned for manga.**


	32. Shinoda's First Truth

Shinoda's First Truth

Shinoda had been out of school for years, so walking the halls of M University, looking for his friend's office, was a bit nostalgic. His friend was a language professor and was fluent in many. She had been stuck on the literature wing, though, because English was the prominent foreign language class and she taught mostly other Asian languages. There wasn't exactly room for her anywhere else.

He still had about fifteen minutes until his friend's class was over, and that's why when something caught his eye, he decided to stop. It was the closed door of another office, and above the door were two nameplates. One said 'Yoh Miyagi, professor of literature' and beside it was 'Hiroki Kamijou, assistant professor of literature.' Shinoda couldn't help but smile; he had spotted his old 'friend' in a train station several months ago, looking as cranky as ever and accompanied by another man, but Hiroki didn't look like he saw him, and he never got close enough to hear what the two were saying. The man could've been his lover, but he didn't like jumping to those kinds of conclusions.

After all, he had his daughter, but he had long-since divorced the woman he married not long after Hiroki pushed himself out of Shinoda's life. Why would the poor man have more luck in his love life?

Shinoda walked around a corner just in time to hear Hiroki himself walking down the hall. He turned to watch Hiroki, who had a pile of books in his hands and glared down at his glasses, which had slid out of place on his nose. So much for him saying that Hiroki wouldn't look good in glasses.

"Professor, open the door!" he yelled, kicking it with one of his legs, since his hands were full. The door opened, but before Hiroki could step inside, another man jumped out and attacked him. Shinoda was about to intervene, but then it became obvious: the man was hugging him.

"Aw, my sweet Hiroki, how I've missed you," he said in a gushy voice, smiling widely. He didn't last long in that position, though, because Hiroki kicked him in the kneecaps and quickly escaped.

"I oughta get Nowaki in here again. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to finish what he started that night."

Miyagi shuddered. "Don't even joke about that, Kamijou! I still wake up in the middle of the night, screaming because I dreamt of his choking me!"

"…somehow I doubt that." Hiroki appeared in the doorway again, and he held out a hand. "I got some paperwork from the dean for you, so get your ass in here."

"Of course, Kamijou-sensei," Miyagi said, smiling as he got to his feet. The door closed behind them.

Shinoda smiled. Maybe Hiroki had changed after all.

**Ah Shinoda. I've been wanting to write something with him in it for a while and this was the result, I guess.**


	33. Shinoda's Second Truth

Shinoda's Second Truth

Shinoda brought his daughter to the hospital the minute he could tell she was sick; because of that, she ended up throwing up in his car on the way there, and he had to roll down the windows because he didn't have the time to stop. Once a tall, dark-haired and vaguely familiar-looking doctor had taken Emi into the emergency room, he headed off to do something about the vomit covering the front passenger seat of his car.

Just as he was heading past a waiting room set right by the door, his eyes fell on the one and only Hiroki Kamijou. He was sitting there in a chair, a book in his hand. He seemed to sense someone was staring at him, because he looked up. And then he froze.

"Kamijou-kun!" Shinoda said, looking about ten times more enthusiastic than Hiroki. "What brings you here? Loved one sick?"

Hiroki averted his eyes and put a bookmark in his book. "A… friend of mine works here. His shift is supposed to end soon."

As if on cue, Nowaki showed up, taking his white coat off as he walked. "Hiro-san, I'll be right out! Just have to go to my locker." He didn't even notice Shinoda, and if he did, he didn't care. He just gave Hiroki that smile of his before disappearing down the hall again. Shinoda looked amused.

"Friend, huh? Your latest conquest? Or have you finally given up on 'Akihiko'?" He rose his eyebrows when Hiroki looked kind of sad. The only emotion he could remember Hiroki ever displaying was anger.

"I gave up on him a long time ago," he said. "For your information, I've been with Nowaki over seven years now."

Shinoda counted on his fingers, looking like he was trying to figure something out. He was about to comment about Hiroki bouncing back awfully quickly, but then someone tapped him on his shoulder. He turned to see the woman who had been sitting at the front desk. "Excuse me, is that your car parked right up front? I just got a complaint that it smells horribly."

"…oh right," Shinoda said, and he thanked the nurse, smiling the entire time. "I'll see you another time, Kamijou-kun. We should get together for lunch. And bring that handsome boyfriend of yours!"

Hiroki could do nothing but stutter as Shinoda disappeared through the automatic doors.

**Wanted to continue this :P Being that today is Friday, I won't have internet access over the weekend, but I'll use the time to work on the chapters you guys want to see (yes, that includes a Tsumori one). Until then, happy reading!**


	34. Haruhiko's Second Truth

Haruhiko's Second Truth

Even though it was technically part of his job, Haruhiko didn't check up on Marukawa Publishing that much. It always reminded him of Akihiko, and that never led down a good path. However, Isaka himself had called to invite him over, and Haruhiko found it hard to say no to his old friend. So that morning, he got in the car with his father and headed over.

"This place seems… lively," Haruhiko said. He adjusted his glasses as he looked around. Staff were everywhere, running for their lives with stacks of papers in their arms. There was clearly a big deadline on its way and they were most certainly not prepared. Haruhiko briefly wondered what it was these people were being paid for, because they clearly couldn't do their jobs.

"Haruhiko!" Isaka appeared out of the crowd, trailed by his ever-exasperated secretary, Asahina. "It's been too long! What do you say we do lunch?"

"It's ten am," Asahina said, indifferent. "And you just ate, because you just woke up."

"I don't pay you to criticize me, Asahina," Isaka said, folding his arms.

"You don't pay me for a lot of things I do here." Asahina kept a straight face as the implications sunk into Isaka's brain. Then Asahina said, "If you two would like coffee, I can get you some. But you're not leaving." He gave Isaka a pointed look before heading for the elevator so he could get coffee from the shop across the street.

"Are you not paying him enough? I'm sure he works hard," Haruhiko said, completely oblivious to the previous tension between Isaka and Asahina.

Isaka just laughed, thumping Haruhiko on the back. Haruhiko looked startled, and he pitched forward a bit before Isaka stopped. "Ah hah, I doubt I should pay him for the kind of services he's talking about," he said. Haruhiko still didn't seem to understand, so Isaka jerked his head towards the elevator. "Come on, let's go to my office. I'm sure the people there will be thrilled to see me actually in there."

"If you say so."

**Forgot that I've been wanting to do this. When Isaka's first introduced, he says he's an old friend of Akihiko's brother. Assuming Usagi doesn't have more than one brother, it seems like that was one thread of the story that kind of just floated away. Oh well.**


	35. Tsumori's First Truth

Tsumori's First Truth

The very first time Tsumori saw Hiroki, he was still half asleep. That combined with his previous gender assumptions made him think he was looking at a very irate woman standing there in the doorway of Nowaki's apartment. Like most of the hospital staff who knew Nowaki was in a relationship, he had assumed 'Hiro' was short for Hiroko. Tsumori could, of course, understand the reason why a woman would be flipping out, finding her boyfriend in bed with another man, even if they hadn't done anything.

He was reminded of this one night as he half dragged Nowaki home. Tsumori hadn't been over since Nowaki and Hiroki moved, and he had to say he was impressed just by the building.

"Thank you for bringing me home, senpai," Nowaki murmured as he searched in his pockets for the keys. "I didn't want to call Hiro-san. The last time I was this tired, he thought I had a cold and wouldn't let me out of bed."

Tsumori had a hard time imagining Nowaki's perpetually sour-faced lover playing nurse, making soup and measuring out cold medicine. He could see what Nowaki meant when he said Hiroki was cute, but the man was always frowning. Those brow wrinkles were probably permanent at that point. So Tsumori just smiled and stood by as Nowaki ambled around, trying to figure out what to do. By all means he should've gone to bed, but it was eleven at night and Hiroki was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's that man of yours?" Tsumori asked, a sly smile on his face. As if on cue, the door opened to Hiroki, looking confused about why it was unlocked. Nowaki had, after all, been scheduled to work until midnight. When he saw Tsumori standing there, he glared, and Tsumori shrunk back a bit, still smiling.

"Don't mind me, I'm just bringing the patient home," Tsumori said. When he said patient, Hiroki looked like he was panicking a bit.

"Is Nowaki sick?" he asked, looking around for the man.

Tsumori waved a hand. "Nah, just tired. Make sure he gets to bed." Hiroki looked like he was going to throw something extra heavy, so Tsumori picked up his bag, the smile never leaving his face. "Have a good night, Hiro-san!" And he was gone.

Of course, he stayed there at the door even after closing it.

"I'm fine, Hiro-san," Nowaki said after a bit.

"Just-just go to bed."

"But this is the first time we've seen each other in days."

"I'd rather you be working than home sick."

"But I'm not sick-"

"Whatever, just get changed. I'll make some tea if you're not going to sleep right away."

There was silence, and Tsumori thought that was that until he heard, "Nowaki, knock it off. You had to be dragged here, half asleep, an hour before your shift ended."

"I'm sorry, Hiro-san. It's just hard for me to keep my hands off you."

Even Tsumori had the decency to leave them alone after that. Not that he wouldn't tease Nowaki about it later.

**Finally did something with Tsumori, after basically everyone asked for something. Ah well.**


	36. The Students' Third Truth

The Students' Third Truth

Hiroki hadn't played piano in years. Most of those classes he took as a kid, the ones he had been so determined not to quit, had waned and disappeared by the time he left high school. The only things he actively kept up with were calligraphy and his Kanji levels; they just seemed like things he should know, being a literature professor.

So, he could honestly say he had no idea why he felt compelled to sit down at a piano in the university music lab and start playing, but he did. Even though it had been years, Hiroki still had the muscle memory, and before he knew it, he was playing all those classical songs that his piano teachers had pounded into his head. It relaxed him, in a way, because it had nothing to do with the lessons that he should've been planning, or the annoying students who had no appreciation for Japanese literature. He had never once questioned being a literature major, but it had been Nowaki who told him he'd be a good teacher, after he had passed both the proficiency exam and the college entrance exams with flying colors.

Hiroki didn't have any classes after that, though, and Nowaki had the evening shift at the hospital, so he just stayed there. The lab was empty; not even a staff supervisor was there. Hiroki briefly wondered why the place was unlocked if there was no one there to watch the equipment, but the music flowing from his fingers distracted him from those thoughts soon enough.

In the middle of the fifth piece, though, his cell phone went off where he had set it on top of the piano, so he stopped and looked. It was a text from Nowaki, telling him he could go home early since the hospital was overstaffed for the evening. Just as Hiroki put away his phone, he glanced over to the entrance of the music lab.

A group of students were standing there, some looking amazed, some looking terrified, and some a combination of the two. At least half the group were students Hiroki recognized from his classes.

"What?" he demanded of them when they wouldn't leave the doorway. Seeing their professor go back to his default mode of 'pissed at the world' seemed to snap them out of it, because they scattered. Hiroki hmphed and picked up his coat and bag.

He'd have to see about getting a keyboard for his and Nowaki's apartment. He'd prefer a piano, but those things were way too big.

**For Berry's request. I actually just got JR number four (buying up physical copies with TokyoPop going out of business, you see), which has the first Junjo Minimum chapter so I've been thinking about this, too XD**


	37. The Lawful Truth

The Lawful Truth

Akihiko was hiding out in Hiroki's apartment for what had to be the fifth time that month. It was obvious he either had a deadline coming up or he had a deadline that he had missed and that demon editor of his was on his back. Why Akihiko kept going back to Hiroki's apartment, he'd never know; Aikawa did, after all, know where it was.

"Why don't you just finish your work on time for once instead of putting it off? Even award-winning authors have to do some work," Hiroki said. Nowaki was working right then, so they were alone in the apartment.

Akihiko looked at Hiroki, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He had forgotten his lighter, though, and Hiroki and Nowaki weren't smokers, so there was nothing to light it. He just sat there, letting it hang there like a lollipop stick. "I did finish my work. I was just bored. Misaki is out with his brother today."

"His brother?"

"Takahiro."

"So you're going out with Takahiro's underage brother."

Akihiko thought about it for a second before saying, "Misaki is nineteen. Even when he was eighteen, he was legal under both the age of consent and the various ordinances throughout the country that prohibit adults from having sex with anyone under the age of eighteen."

Hiroki just stood there at the stove, staring down at the tea he had been preparing. "You've thought long and hard about this, haven't you?"

Akihiko just shrugged and put his hands behind his head, ready for a nap. It pissed Hiroki off, honestly, but what can you do?

**Usagi is a law school graduate, after all, but I am not so I had to look up all that information. National age of consent in Japan, by the way, is thirteen, and not every prefecture has a law preventing adults from having sex with kids under eighteen. Kind of creepy, Japan.**


	38. Nowaki's Third Truth

Nowaki's Third Truth

Hiroki had been thinking about something ever since the incident where he thought Nowaki was sick. Even after the two moved in together, they had separate bedrooms and slept apart. It was an awkward arrangement, but Hiroki didn't feel like he could deal with Nowaki in that capacity; they did sleep together sometimes, when they both were off work for the night and ended up having sex. But mostly, Hiroki would crawl into his own bed, the same twin-sized futon he'd used at his old apartment for years, tempted to go in and tell Nowaki that he was cold.

So, on a Saturday afternoon when neither of them had to work, Hiroki said he wanted to go shopping. Sometimes they'd go grocery shopping together, mostly because Hiroki chose most of the meals even if Nowaki was the one to cook, but when Nowaki reached for the pad of paper on the fridge where they always wrote the grocery list, Hiroki shook his head. "Not that kind of shopping," he said, his face flushed as he reached for his hat and scarf.

Nowaki knew better than to ask. Hiroki wouldn't be telling him. However, as they walked the cold streets and ended up at a furniture store, Nowaki started wondering what Hiroki was up to. The obvious answer would be getting another bookcase for the huge amounts of books that took residence in their apartment, of course. But then why would Hiroki want Nowaki to come with him?

"Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked as they finally approached the section of the store with model beds. Hiroki sat down on a queen-sized one before falling back, looking like he was considering something. "Hiro-san?" Nowaki said again, his mind starting to piece together why Hiroki had brought him along on the trip.

"It would be easier to just sleep together," Hiroki mumbled, his eyes closed. "I mean, I originally got a two bedroom apartment so I could have an office, and then you came along and filled it with all your stuff." Not like Nowaki had a lot of stuff, as most of what was filling his original six-tatami apartment had been books he'd borrowed from Hiroki.

Still, Nowaki sat down beside Hiroki and clasped their hands together, not caring if one of the sales attendants came along and saw them. They'd probably figure it out, anyway, when the two actually picked one out and placed the order. "I'd like that."

**Just something that bugged me. In Egoist act six, Hiroki curses at himself for falling asleep beside Nowaki, saying he should've gone back to his own room, but then in Egoist act nine, the two are going to sleep in the same bed, with no explanation how they made the transition.**


	39. Usagi's Second Truth

Usagi's Second Truth

Usagi found himself alone in the apartment after dropping Misaki off at the university. He had a deadline to make, but he didn't really feel like writing; he'd pulled an all-nighter just that week, after all, and Aikawa wasn't yet in demon editor mode. However, as he went to sit down on the couch and maybe take a nap, Misaki's voice went through his head. "You'd be less stressed if you actually met your deadlines, Usagi-san," he liked to say. Usagi sighed.

He was about to reach for his cigarettes, when Misaki's voice was in his head again. "Can't you cut down? You're going to put yourself in an early grave," he had said at least once. It was true that Usagi usually responded with 'I'll quit when I'm dead,' but it wasn't often that Misaki showed that kind of concern for him. He left his cigarette pack on the coffee table and went up to his office.

Around noon, Usagi was hungry, however he had distracted Misaki the night before from making their lunches. He thought about making something himself, but he remembered the last time he tried that; it was when Misaki was visiting Takahiro in Osaka and Usagi tried to cook an egg. The microwave was a mess, which Misaki had made a huge deal out of when they got home. Usagi just ended up eating out after that, which was another thing Misaki would complain about if he knew; Usagi was rich and would continue to be rich, but Misaki had a problem with how much he spent.

Usagi reached up into the cupboards, intending to just have some coffee, when Misaki's voice was in his head again, "No, the heat-resistant cups are over here!" Usagi shook his head and got one before going back to work.

When his coffee was finished, he considered leaving the cup there. It wasn't that he was in any kind of groove with his writing, it's just that was what he usually did. However, for the hundredth time that day, Misaki's voice sounded in Usagi's head. "Are you _trying_ to make my job harder?" he'd said once after going into Usagi's study after a particularly lengthy writing binge to find twelve separate mugs.

As Usagi took his cup downstairs, he paused when a realization hit him: Misaki had become the voice of his conscience. That was scarier than any demon editor.

**Blah, I had to retype this because my laptop crapped out, but here it is. Thought of the basic idea at three in the morning; I was having a hard time getting to sleep and it just popped into my head. Nice to know where my priorities are, huh?**


	40. The Patient's First Truth

The Patient's First Truth

Nowaki had long ago discovered that when you work with young kids, you're bound to have some patients that end up with a crush on you. He thought it was cute when the little girls wouldn't want to leave because that meant they wouldn't see him anymore. Usually their crushes didn't become obvious until then, but sometimes there were ones that quite obviously liked him from the beginning.

There was a particular one he'd check up on that did. She was a tonsillectomy patient and was only there for a couple days; tonsillectomies were a rather easy procedure, if not that common anymore, but they had to make sure there wouldn't be any complications before they let her go. She was allowed all the ice cream she could eat, and when Nowaki had his break one day, she asked him to stay in there with her and eat some.

"Kusama-sensei, do you have a wife?" the girl asked. Nowaki was somewhat impressed she even knew that word, being only seven, but she seemed pretty smart for her age.

Nowaki smiled and put down his ice cream bowl. "No, but I do have someone very special," he said. The little girl looked a bit disappointed, but then she perked back up.

"What's she like?"

Nowaki debated this; most of the hospital staff knew by now that he was with a man, and some of them would be willing to correct her if she was talking with them and mentioned his 'girlfriend.' So he said, "Hiro-san is… very cute. I don't know what I'd do without him."

"Attention: all available personnel please report to the ER!" came a voice over the hospital intercom. Nowaki had noticed people out in the hall were starting to run around, looking panicked, but he hadn't thought much of it until that announcement.

He bowed and excused himself, but just as he went to the door, the little girl said, "Can I meet Hiro-san?"

Nowaki stopped, looking, for a split second, caught off-guard. But then he smiled. "Of course."

**I just love writing little girls. Little kids in general are so refreshingly honest.**


	41. Hotaru's First Truth

Hotaru's First Truth

Hiroki hadn't visited the Kusama Orphanage since that first Christmas Eve, but the Christmas after Nowaki came back from America, he found himself dragged along not exactly against his will. It wasn't that Nowaki had never visited himself in those six years, it was just that the children there gave Nowaki so much attention that Hiroki felt awkward just standing there in the corner, unnoticed. He wasn't exactly a people person, let alone a kid person. That Christmas Eve all those years ago, the kids did try, at first, to get Hiroki to play with them. It hadn't exactly gone well.

"Nowaki!" Hotaru said, immediately on them as soon as they came through the door. Hiroki already felt awkward, but then he found himself being hugged as well. "And Kamijou-san! It's been so long. Nowaki always talks about you, but I thought maybe you'd fallen off the face of the earth and he just wouldn't admit it."

Nowaki was just grinning like the idiot Hiroki accused him of being. "Hiro-san is always very busy, but he decided to come this year."

"More like you made me," Hiroki muttered.

"He always enjoys the cookies you send," Nowaki said as Hotaru led them through the office and into the main part of the building. Hiroki spluttered and tried to make up some excuses, but Nowaki smiled again and leaned in to Hotaru's ear. "He always tries to make it seem like he doesn't want any, and then he'll sneak some when I'm not in the room."

Hiroki's face was beat-red by the time they entered the large community room. There were plenty of kids in there, playing and laughing like they didn't have a care in the world. Hiroki had been amazed the first time he saw this; he had always imagined an orphanage to be a rather sad place even at Christmas.

"Wacchan!" the kids squealed as soon as they saw Nowaki, and as always, he was dragged off to play with them.

Hiroki was clearly not impressed, but then Hotaru walked up beside him. "He really will make a good pediatrician, don't you think? The kids absolutely love him."

"Yeah, he really will," Hiroki said, finding that he couldn't take his eyes off of Nowaki even though he still had a scowl on his face.

"What do you do now, Kamijou-san? I don't think Nowaki's told me since you graduated."

"Literature professor over at M University," Hiroki said.

"Ah, so you work with kids too, in a way." Hotaru smiled and went over to the table, where there were some snacks laid out.

"Hah, I hate kids, so I don't think that's a good way of looking at it." Suddenly, there was a cookie in his vision, and Hiroki looked over to see Hotaru beside him again. He thought about telling her he didn't want it, that Nowaki was lying, but he really did like them. So he just nodded. "Thank you."

**I had a dream and literally all I can remember was it involved Junjou characters and Christmas cookies. They really are invading my mind.**


	42. Hiroki's Secret Truth

Hiroki's Secret Truth

Lately, Nowaki had been working late shifts that left Hiroki disoriented. He'd leave before Hiroki got home from the university and come back just as he was falling asleep. Hiroki by principle didn't let anything get started in the morning, so he'd go to work feeling vaguely horny and, as a result, more pissed-off than usual. He'd been offended when that student suggested he was ornery because his partner withheld sex, but now he suspected they were on to something. Not that he'd admit it out loud.

He was surprised, therefore, to see Nowaki sitting there on the couch with Eri-chan in his lap when he got home. Nowaki was talking to and petting the little rodent, who, for her part, looked rather pleased at the development. Eri-chan was like Hiroki in that respect; she acted like she didn't like Nowaki, but a few pets and some sweet talk, and she cuddled right up to him.

Nowaki thought that Eri-chan was like Hiroki in a lot of respects, but he kept his mouth shut about that.

"Hiro-san!" Nowaki said, and it was all Hiroki could do to slip off his shoes before Nowaki had let Eri-chan loose in the exercise ball and was on him. "I'm so glad to see you, Hiro-san."

Hiroki considered pushing him away, but something stopped him. Maybe it was the soft classical music playing in the background. It reminded him of his European ballroom dancing lessons. He'd spent hours stumbling around the floor with giggling girls who were more concerned with kissing him than getting the steps right. He and Nowaki never danced, but suddenly, he wanted to.

As Nowaki stepped away, however, the impulse passed. There was no way he'd knowingly do something so hopelessly romantic.

"Hey Nowaki, do we have wine?" Hiroki asked as they walked towards the kitchen.

"Yes, Hiro-san. Would you like some right now?"

"Yeah, sure." His eyes fell to the floor only to see Eri-chan staring up at him. "Don't give me that look. It's for a good cause."

Eri-chan just rolled away and Nowaki, unknown to Hiroki, filled a glass with half wine, half grape juice. He'd let his Hiro-san think he was drunker than he really was.

**I had a two-part Terrorist one but I'm stuck on the second part, so here, have some more Egoist!**


	43. The Manga Artist's Second Truth

The Manga Artist's Second Truth

Takako Mitsuhara had been over to visit Akihiko Usami a grand total of five times since the manga project started. She had learned a few things in that time. The first was that if Usami was sleeping, it was best to just leave him alone and wait until he got up himself. Misaki had warned her about this, but for some reason, she hadn't listened. The second was that once she actually got Usami working, he was actually pretty good. There was a reason, she supposed, that he was a best-selling author.

She learned the third thing on her sixth visit to see Usami. He was still asleep, but it was a weekend so Misaki was around. He had let her in and then gone back to doing whatever it was he did when he had free time. This was, Takako observed as she waited, cleaning.

"So uh, how long have you and Usami-sensei known each other?" she asked just to break the awkward silence that had descended on them.

Misaki had been heading out onto the deck to get the laundry, but he stopped at that, looking nervous. "Erm, a while I guess. I met him my last year of high school."

"Really?" Takako asked, and Misaki nodded before going through the sliding door.

"He was my niichan's friend," Misaki said, trying to keep his eyes on his work rather than on Takako. He wasn't sure he was going to like her reaction.

"Oh? What's your brother's name?"

"Uh, Takahiro."

Takako thought about this for a second, and then it dawned on her where she had heard the name. Her entire face lit up, but before she could ask Misaki some more about it, she heard a door burst open. Usami appeared at the top of the stairs, looking just as pissed-off at being awake as he always did.

"Well, I need to go grocery shopping. It was nice seeing you again, Mitsuhara-san!" Misaki didn't even bother bringing the laundry basket back in, he just grabbed his wallet from where he left it on the counter and made a break for it.

Well, Takako thought, at least he had _some_ sense of self-preservation.

**Not much, though. Poor Misaki.**


	44. The First High School Truth

The First High School Truth

Hiroki probably would've thrown the invitation away if he was the one to get the mail that day. Unfortunately he wasn't, and Nowaki stared down in interest at the white envelope with a fancy insignia that he couldn't read beyond 'Private High School.' It was clear that it was addressed to Hiroki, though.

"Hiro-san, I got the mail," Nowaki said, taking his shoes off at the door and placing them snugly beside Hiroki's dress shoes. "It looks like you got something important."

Hiroki glanced up from the couch, where he was working on his laptop. He had his glasses on, because at some point, he gave in to how incredibly far-sighted he was and figured wearing them as he worked was better than not being able to read the kana as he typed. The last time he had tried to work on something without his glasses on, it had been a paper he had to submit to Miyagi, and the older man had wasted no time in teasing him about his typos. "What is it?" He was still distracted by his work, though; he didn't even think to be embarrassed about the fact that he had pinned his hair back with some hairclips he found among his things. They were small, with pink butterflies on the ends.

He didn't really question why he had them.

"I think it might be from your high school," Nowaki said, holding the envelope between his fingers. Hiroki thought for a moment before giving him a sharp look. If Nowaki hadn't been with Hiroki for close to seven years, he probably would've jumped back in fear. "I mean, I can't really read this fancy insignia but…"

Hiroki walked over and grabbed the envelope, looking at it reproachfully. He'd recognize the insignia anywhere. And if his math was correct (and even he could do basic math; he wasn't like a lot of literature enthusiasts who completely gave up on it) then he knew what it was for.

"Toss it," he said, stalking back over to the couch.

"But Hiro-san, what's it for?" Nowaki asked, still holding onto the envelope.

Hiroki gave him a sharp look, but Nowaki didn't back down. There was a challenging silence between them, punctuated only by Eri-chan talking to herself over in her cage.

Finally, Hiroki sighed and put his hand to his forehead like he had a headache coming on. "My tenth high school reunion. But don't get any ideas. I didn't go to my fifth and I don't intend to go now." He looked to Nowaki only to be pinned by a sad look. "What?"

"But I'd like to go," Nowaki said. "I didn't go to high school, so I wouldn't get to do something like this on my own."

Hiroki should've known that Nowaki would use that on him. He'd said something similar when Hiroki found his old school uniform and scoffed at the idea of trying it on after all those years. That hadn't ended well for Hiroki, although that probably depends on your definition of 'ended well.'

"…fine," Hiroki said, putting his eyes back on the laptop screen. "But you know Akihiko might be there, right?"

"I'm fine with that!" Nowaki was grinning. He didn't care about seeing Hiroki's old friend if he got to see other people who knew Hiroki back then.

Hiroki should've known it was no use to argue; Nowaki always won.

**This was originally going to be a separate one-shot but I don't have that kind of focus so uh, here's part one of a multiple-part thing. Enjoy.**


	45. The Second High School Truth

The Second High School Truth

"What, you're heading out already?" Miyagi asked as he walked into their office only to see Hiroki putting on his jacket.

Hiroki just rolled his eyes and looked over at the box where he had put his finished work, mostly papers he had graded for Miyagi's classes because the man had disappeared at lunch and the papers were supposed to be back to his students a week ago. He sometimes wondered how Miyagi managed to keep his job with that procrastination habit of his.

"Yeah, well, I've got some things to do that don't involve your work, so I'll see you tomorrow," he said, purposefully avoiding telling Miyagi anything specific.

"Aw, you gotta get home to that big boyfriend of yours? I'm jealous," Miyagi said, leaning back in his chair and reaching for a cigarette.

Hiroki eyed him. "Don't let that brat of yours hear that," he said.

"Shinobu-chin can't cook like your guy can," Miyagi said. Of course he'd know, what with how many times he'd sneak a bite of Hiroki's lunch when he wasn't paying attention. "So where are you going, anyway? Romantic date?"

"Hah, like I'd tell you," Hiroki said, heading for the door. Miyagi gave him a look like he knew exactly what Hiroki would be doing that evening, and Hiroki shook his head. "I doubt it's what you're thinking. Nowaki convinced me to go to my high school reunion."

"Ah, high school reunions." Miyagi leaned back in his chair and looked thoughtful as he smoked. "I haven't seen any of those guys in years. Maybe I should call them up."

"Yes, I'm sure they'd be thrilled at what you've become." Hiroki rolled his eyes and made for the door.

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" Miyagi demanded, and he tried to chase after Hiroki but ended up falling backwards in his chair and hitting the floor. "Ouch!"

**Note to x: Eri-chan is a true story. I've had tons of guinea pigs over the years and they all tended to just sit in their cage, squealing quietly to themselves if you aren't paying attention to them. It's fascinating to watch. Note to other readers: that two-parter Terrorist I mentioned a while back dealt with some of Miyagi's old high school friends showing up, but I'm still stuck on it. Just as a teaser, I guess.**


	46. The Third High School Truth

The Third High School Truth

It was only after about five minutes on the subway that Hiroki realized someone was looking at him across the car, looking like he was contemplating something. Hiroki tried to ignore it at first, instead looking over to Nowaki. Nowaki just smiled, and Hiroki scowled and looked away only to see the guy was looking at him still.

Finally, the man got brave and made his way across the train car despite the fact that it was rush hour and pretty crowded. The train lurched a bit, and they all had to grab onto a handle to keep from tumbling to the floor.

"Sorry, but you're Hiroki Kamijou aren't you?" the guy asked. Hiroki nodded warily, and the guy smiled and bowed. "I thought so. You probably don't remember me. Yuki Sato. We were in homeroom in high school. I'm guessing you're heading to the reunion?"

Hiroki decided to ignore the smile that was creeping onto Nowaki's face and be annoyed with how forward Sato was being. He didn't get a chance to say anything, though.

"Where were you last time, though?" Sato continued. "At the five year reunion? People noticed you were gone, after all. Come to think of it, Usami-san wasn't there, either."

"That doesn't surprise me. Akihiko doesn't go to his own book parties," Hiroki said, rolling his eyes. Sato just smiled like he completely understood. It kind of unnerved Hiroki. "Ah, and uh, I couldn't make it back then. Where was I?" He looked thoughtful about this, as if he didn't remember exactly what he had done to avoid going to his fifth high school reunion.

"Hiro-san, wasn't that the year you got your mother to give you money so we could go to Hokkaido? I thought it was sudden," Nowaki piped up helpfully.

Sato looked at Nowaki curiously while Hiroki gave him a death glare that could've unnerved an entire room full of college students. "And you are?" Sato asked.

"Nowaki Kusama. Pleased to meet you." Nowaki tried to bow deeply, but there wasn't enough room so he settled for a shallow one.

"Oh, I know who you are! You treated my daughter a couple weeks back when she went in for her appendix," Sato said, bowing as well. Hiroki felt a sense of relief when he said daughter, if only because that probably meant the man wasn't gay. His ability to deal with men interested in him had all but disappeared, being in a relationship for so long. "What are you doing here, then? I don't think we went to school together."

"He's my boyfriend okay?" Hiroki yelled it, just barely covered by a voice coming over the intercom to announce their current stop. Sato just smiled again like he hadn't heard.

It was going to be a long evening.

**Yes, Hiroki, yes it is**


	47. The Fourth High School Truth

The Fourth High School Truth

If there was one thing that Hiroki was thankful for about that night, it was that Akihiko was not there. Neither was Takahiro, when he thought about it, but that didn't matter as much to him. He could just imagine what would happen if Akihiko did go; he'd probably drag around that boyfriend of his and bring so much attention to himself that the whole event would end up centering around him.

Then again, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

"Aw come on, Kamijou, why can't you go out drinking with us?" someone yelled at him as he actually pulled Nowaki by the arm away from the school, where they'd had the reunion in the spacious phys ed gym. There were other, better places that they could've had it, ones with better ventilation, but for such a prestigious, private academy, Hiroki always knew that they were kind of cheap.

"Got class in the morning," Hiroki muttered, shooting Nowaki a look to stay absolutely silent.

"Since when has that stopped you?"

"Teaching class, dumbass," Hiroki said. He refrained from musing about the one time he did go in to teach his classes with an extreme hangover. It had taken place in his first couple weeks on the job, before Nowaki had come back from America. That had not been a good day. In fact, that day may or may not have been the first time someone called him Kamijou the Devil.

"Oh yeah, you're a professor now, aren't you?" One of the guys that was going out for drinks walked right up to him and poked him in the chest. For all the comments people had made about Nowaki through the evening, they seemed to be ignoring him now. Hiroki had never explained who he actually was, just that he was a friend who never went to high school so wanted to come and see what it was like. "Geeze, if only I could be so lucky."

"Lucky?" Hiroki asked as he and Nowaki started towards the station. Hiroki's old friends followed him, and he didn't bother bitching them out about it. "If I didn't have funding for my research I wouldn't even be there. Damned brats."

"Hah, I bet the girls are falling all over you, giving you chocolate at Valentine's Day and such," the same friend said, looking teary-eyed. He glanced over to Nowaki. "He was popular in high school, you know. Not as much as Usami-san, but that guy had the whole brooding, mysterious thing going."

"Hah, I didn't like girls even then," Hiroki said. Then he stopped, realizing what he had just admitted to. His face went completely red, and he was silent as they got into the station.

"Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked, ignoring the fact that his old classmates were still watching them.

"Let's just get home!" Hiroki bought both their tickets and was off before the group could make any comments.

"Huh," the one that had been speaking the entire time said. "I always thought he'd end up with Usami-san." The rest of the group nodded.

**And that's the end of that little arc so uh, feel free to request stuff. Not that I was closed while writing all this but yeah :D**


	48. The Law Student's First Truth

The Law Student's First Truth

Miyagi came home one day to a sight to behold. Shinobu was sitting on the floor, books and papers spread out around him as he explained something in his notes to a girl Miyagi had never seen before.

"And this is?"

"My Intro to Foreign Law professor said he'd excuse my absences if I tutor her and she passes the next test," Shinobu said, not even looking up.

"When were you absent? Ugh the dean's going to be on my case if he finds out." Miyagi put a hand to his forehead, looking tired.

"The class is when you take your lunch break," Shinobu said. "If you're hungry, I already made dinner."

Miyagi was about to make a comment about what a good housewife Shinobu was, but he glanced at Shionbu's classmate and thought better of it. So he just loosened his tied and ruffled Shinobu's hair with his other hand on his way through. "Thank you, Shinobu-chin."

The girl watched as Miyagi walked down the hall and disappeared into his bedroom. She'd gone to the bathroom earlier and taken the opportunity to snoop around a bit. The main bedroom had a large bed where Shinobu had dropped his bag. The smaller bedroom had been turned into an office, with bookshelves full to bursting lining the walls. She thought he lived on his own, and now she was curious.

"Who's that?"

"Miyagi."

She just stared at him. "And Miyagi is…"

"My boyfriend." He said it so bluntly that she thought she heard wrong at first. "If you're not going to focus I do have other things I could be doing."

"Right!" She was blushing, though, as she looked at the bedroom out of the corner of her eye. "How old is he?" she couldn't help but ask.

"What does that matter?" Shinobu sounded annoyed, so she decided to drop the subject. She'd be over again, after all.

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I've been working on a fanfic for Sekaiichi Hatsukoi and that's been taking up all my attention :D I'm sure you all can forgive me.**


	49. Hiroki's Fourth Truth

Hiroki's Fifth Truth

There were some things Nowaki simply wouldn't let pass. When he saw Hiroki trudge into the kitchen one morning, his face flushed and his back hunched, it was one of those times. Nowaki wasn't going to let Hiroki go to work.

Unfortunately, Nowaki had work himself, and he didn't even have time to tell Hiroki to call Miyagi and go back to bed. He was being called-in.

"I'll see you this evening, Hiro-san!" Nowaki called as he grabbed his bag and slipped on his shoes. Hiroki nodded and yawned, putting a hand to his forehead. If Nowaki was lucky enough, maybe Hiroki would decide to stay home on his own.

Of course, he wouldn't be so lucky. And that was how he found himself escorting Hiroki out of the hospital that evening, Hiroki with a bandage around his head and Nowaki with a very rare frown on his lips.

"Hiro-san, you should know when not to go into work," he said. He was tempted to take his boyfriend's hand as they walked across the hospital campus towards the subway, but he didn't want to risk it. Hiroki was hurt enough without having to resort to violence as he usually did when Nowaki attempted PDA.

Much to Nowaki's surprise, however, Hiroki took his hand without saying a thing about it. "I was just tired is all. How was I supposed to know I'd fall asleep in the middle of a class?"

"And smash your head on the desk," Nowaki added, because this detail was most important. It was, after all, why one of Hiroki's students ended up calling an ambulance and Hiroki was brought-in on a stretcher, only half conscious and with an angry purple bruise blooming right in the middle of his head. "You're lucky you didn't get a concussion."

"You sound like my mother," Hiroki muttered. They were just getting down in the subway station, though, and so the noise prevented Nowaki from hearing.

"What did you say, Hiro-san?"

"I… said maybe I should take a couple days off and visit my mother," he said, though he wasn't sure why. He knew his father would be around, because his mother had been calling constantly, trying to get Nowaki and Hiroki to visit. It was Nowaki's weekend off from the hospital as well, so it would work out.

A smile spread across Nowaki's face, and he nodded enthusiastically. Hiroki, for his part, finally realized that he was holding his boyfriend's hand in a public, crowded place and broke the contact, grumbling to himself about how he was going soft.

**Another multi-part thing? Probably. Hope you enjoy it!**


	50. The Kamijou's Third Truth

The Kamijou's Third Truth

Hiroki had not spared any time in warning Nowaki that his father was a formidable man. He had to be, being the CEO of a successful group of companies, of course. When Hiroki thought someone was formidable, though, they often were. Hiroki wasn't easily scared. Then again, it was his father.

"What does he look like, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked as they stepped off the subway into the station closest to Hiroki's childhood home.

Hiroki looked kind of sullen as he slung his overnight bag over his shoulder. "Like me, I guess. Mother always did say I got my looks from my father."

Nowaki seemed pleased by this, and he glanced down at the pet carrier he had in his hands. It had taken some convincing, but Nowaki finally got Hiroki to let him bring Eri-chan with them. It was either that or get someone to go in and take care of her while they were gone, but when Nowaki pointed this out, Hiroki seemed to like that prospect even less.

"Hiro-chan!" And there was his mother, waving happily even as people stopped to stare at her. She hadn't ridden the subway in years, mostly because her husband would always prepare a car for her as soon as she expressed interest in going somewhere, so she wasn't really up on subway station etiquette. "Your father had a meeting today that he apparently couldn't get out of, but he promised he'd be back so we could all go out for dinner." And then her eyes landed on Eri-chan, who didn't look exactly thrilled after her subway ride. "Oh, and you brought your... rodent. Well I suppose it's almost as good as bringing me a grandchild."

Hiroki started stuttering, trying to find the appropriate words, but Nowaki just smiled. "Hiro-san is stubborn about that. I told him that the administrators at the orphanage I grew up in would probably let us adopt, but he always says no."

Hiroki's mother twirled around on her heel so she could look at her son. "Hiro-chan, is this true? You could adopt and give me a grandchild! Why do you always deprive me of these small pleasures?"

Nowaki was still grinning as Hiroki gave him the coldest look he'd ever seen.


	51. The Family Truth

The Family Truth

The Kamijou estate was livelier than usual. At first Hiroki thought maybe his father had invited business associates over, until he realized there were children running around on the front lawn and that most of them were directly related to him. Nowaki's eyes lit up at the sight, while Hiroki had the exact opposite expression on his face.

"Mother, what's going on?" he asked as they had to step around two children chasing each other and throwing a ball at one another's heads.

Hiroki's mother eyed him like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "It's my birthday tomorrow, Hiro-chan. I thought that was why you finally decided to visit. Your aunts were thrilled that you were coming for a family gathering. They don't count the summer festival last year, since you were so distracted."

"Aunts?" Nowaki asked, because Hiroki had frozen where he was, a look of terror on his face.

"Oh yes," Hiroki's mother said, tapping her son on the shoulder before sighing and pushing him along the path. "His father and I have nothing but sisters between us, you see. Three for me, three for him." Nowaki took over directing Hiroki to the house's front entrance, and she smiled her thanks. "They all have children, and some of the children have children. They're all here for the weekend."

When Hiroki heard that every single one of his aunts and cousins were around, he turned on his heel and said, "I'm heading back for the subway."

Nowaki glanced at Hiroki's mother. She reached her hands out and took Eri-chan's cage, knowing what Nowaki wanted to do. Once his pet was safe, Nowaki chased after him. "Hiro-san!" he said. "Hiro-san, what's wrong? Aren't you glad to see your family?"

Hiroki looked all over the lawn. There had to be about fifteen children of various ages around, and all it did was serve to irritate him. Nowaki finally seemed to understand this. "Oh Hiro-san," he said, but he had a smile on his face as he put a hand down into his boyfriend's hair. "They're not doing anything to hurt you. Can't we stay, at least for your mother's birthday tomorrow?"

As if the universe were trying to prove Nowaki wrong, the ball two of the children were playing with earlier came careening toward them and hit Hiroki square on the forehead. He blinked in shock.

Nowaki kind of deflated, thinking this little accident would be what finally gave Hiroki a reason to just take his things and go back to their apartment. Which was why he was positively confused when Hiroki picked up the ball and started chasing the child, who was squealing in delight.

"You stupid brat, you never learn!" Hiroki said, and he finally threw the ball, nailing the kid between the shoulder blades. Before he could even wipe his hands in satisfaction, though, ten more kids were throwing balls at him, and he was finally pelted to the ground.

Nowaki was alarmed, but Hiroki's mother walked up to him, smiling. "Is this… common?" Nowaki asked, taking Eri-chan's cage back.

"More than you'd think."

**Well, he had to get the compulsion the throw things from somewhere, right?**


	52. The Cousin's First Truth

The Cousin's First Truth

Hiroki's father was meeting them at the restaurant where his parents had rented out most of the place for the meal. They had to, considering every single one of those aunts, uncles and cousins would be coming along. Hiroki had expected a quiet dinner with his parents and a lot of questions from his father. Instead, he'd probably end the evening with a headache.

"It's not so bad, Hiro-chan," his cousin Chiko said after watching him throw a fit about it across the lawn. She was closer to his age and a mother twice-over. She had been a terror when they were younger, but motherhood seemed to have mellowed her out.

She didn't know the half of it, though. Nowaki had gone inside with Hiroki's mother, so the two hadn't had the pleasure.

"You know your mother wants to spend time with you, and so does your father. You're so wrapped-up in your job that you never come for family gatherings anymore." Chiko caught her daughter, who was chasing an older cousin and about to tumble to the ground.

"Hiro-chan!" Chiko's daughter, Kimi, said, because she hadn't pelted him earlier like a game of dodge ball gone horribly awry. "Where's your friend?"

"Friend?" Chiko asked in interest.

Kimi nodded. She was no older than six, so she probably didn't know any better. "I saw Aunt Toko come in, and she was with Hiro-chan and this really tall guy!"

"Nowaki's inside," Hiroki said, averting his eyes and not even realizing his cheeks were red.

Chiko released her daughter and headed inside without a word. "Friend, huh?" she asked as Hiroki followed her in. She immediately started towards the voices of her mother and aunts, buried somewhere deep in the house. Hiroki hoped to God Nowaki wasn't with them, but his luck hadn't been good so far. "Any particular reason you brought your 'friend' to meet your family?"

"One, I had no idea you'd all be here," Hiroki said, clearly starting to lose his temper.

Before he could make his second point, they reached the kitchen. It was spacious, with a high ceiling. They didn't have a cook; Toko had been a culinary arts student in college and liked cooking too much to let someone else do it for her. It looked like other people were making her birthday cake, though.

All six of Hiroki's aunts were in there, along with his mother and, somehow, Nowaki. He had one of the bowls of cake mix and was talking to them all, a smile on his face. No one seemed to notice Hiroki and Chiko there in the doorway, even after Hiroki pulled Chiko back into the hall.

"They seem to like him," Chiko said, leaning against a wall.

"Of course they do. Everyone likes Nowaki," Hiroki said, sounding annoyed.

Chiko smiled. "Including you?"

Hiroki ducked his head and folded his arms. "He's my boyfriend, Chiko-chan," he finally admitted. "He's been wanting to meet both of my parents for a while now."

"Your father isn't an unreasonable man, Hiro-chan," Chiko said, patting him on the shoulder.

Hiroki glanced back through the kitchen doorway, where Nowaki was pouring batter into a cake pan as he said something to Chiko's mother. "Yeah, we'll see."


	53. The Unfortunate Truth

The Unfortunate Truth

Hiroki made Nowaki wait inside when he saw his father wasn't there yet. Toko and Hiroki waited outside the restaurant, able to hear everything as their relatives talked and laughed. They seemed like they were having a good time, mostly because they all weren't dealing with potentially lethal amounts of stress at the time.

Toko, of course, wasn't stressed. Hiroki, however, had brought out a book to occupy himself until his father arrived, and he had been staring at the same page, and even the same line, for the last ten minutes. It was only when he noticed his mother pacing back-and-forth that he realized his father was late.

"It's not like your father to be late," Toko said, looking concerned. "Why don't you go ahead inside, Hiro-chan? I'll call him. He probably just got held-up at his meeting."

Hiroki rolled his eyes, but he was more than willing to go inside and distract himself.

Which was why he was annoyed when, not even a minute later, there his father was. Hiroki had just managed to work his way through the crowd of adults and the children who were running around the restaurant without restraint and sit down with Nowaki at the table reserved for them and his parents when he heard his father's voice.

His father, however, stopped when he saw Nowaki. Nowaki, for his part, wasn't even paying attention; the children had taken a liking to him, and Nowaki was currently coloring with one of them while they waited to order.

"Ah, Hiroki, it seems I was mistaken," Hiroki's father said as he slipped into a seat across from his son and took off his glasses. "When your mother said you were bringing someone special, I thought it would be that girlfriend you rejected all those matchmaking attempts over."

Hiroki was tempted to bash his head on the table, but he managed to restrain himself. "Father, this is Nowaki Kusama. Nowaki, this is my father, Nobuhiro Kamijou."

Nowaki smiled and shook the man's hand, still half-distracted by the small child offering him a blue crayon.

Toko leaned over the table so that only Hiroki could hear. "I'm sorry, Hiro-chan, but you know how dense your father can be."

Hiroki just shook his head and picked up a menu. It was completely fine with him.


	54. Nowaki's Fourth Truth

Nowaki's Fourth Truth

Fortunately for Hiroki, not all the relatives were staying there at the Kamijou estate. No matter how big it was, there simply wasn't enough room, so a good amount of his aunts, uncles and cousins were occupying the hotels in the immediate area.

For Hiroki's part, he and Nowaki had been put in his old bedroom. Other than the fact that his childhood sheets had been replaced by a set of solid blue ones, it hadn't changed at all.

As Hiroki sat on his bed, reading and trying to ignore his parents talking just outside his closed door, Nowaki looked around.

"Hiro-san, this place really does look like yours," Nowaki said, a smile on his face. He was standing at a bookshelf, running his fingers over the spines but not actually looking at the titles. He was sure that he had never heard of them, anyway.

Hiroki scowled. "I was a brat in high school, so that's not much of a compliment."

Outside, Nobuhiro said something about a futon. Toko hadn't even bothered to put up a pretext of Nowaki and Hiroki sleeping separately, and her husband seemed baffled as to why.

"Yes, but it's so full of books. It reminds me of our apartment." Nowaki pulled one from the shelf and flipped through it. It was a book of poems, and Hiroki glanced at it. "Did you read a lot of poems in high school, Hiro-san?"

"Yeah. Still have some memorized," Hiroki said, putting aside his book and staring up at the ceiling. Then he closed his eyes. "Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate, to say that for destruction ice, is also great, and would suffice." When he opened his eyes, Nowaki was staring at him. "What?"

Nowaki smiled and put down the book, then walked over. "I love you, Hiro-san."

Hiroki averted his eyes as Nowaki laid down next to him and trapped him in a hug. "Yeah, yeah."

**That poem Hiroki recites would be Fire and Ice by Robert Frost. I'm, uh, actually not that into poetry so Frost was the first person who came to mind. Ah well!**


	55. The Accidental Truth

The Accidental Truth

The power went out around midnight. It wasn't just the Kamijou estate, but the entire district. Hiroki, unable to sleep, had been reading and trying to ignore the fact that Nowaki had his large body curled around him. The big lug was sleeping like a baby and didn't seem to notice the resounding _snap_ before all the lights went out.

His father was at his door before Hiroki could figure out how to get Nowaki off him. "Hiroki?" the man asked through the door. "You okay in there?"

"Yes, Father, we're fine," Hiroki said, trying to avoid having his father come in and see.

"Hiroki?" It was his mother this time. She opened the door just enough to poke a candle in and look around. "Why don't you come out into the living room? We have candles so you can keep reading." Because, of course, his mother would know that he had been reading instead of sleeping.

The power went on at some point during the night, but Hiroki wouldn't be able to tell you when. He fell asleep when he decided that the candles weren't enough to read by, just sitting out there on one of the plush couches. When he woke up, he jumped in surprise to see Nowaki had joined him.

"You idiot," he muttered, but he sighed and laid his head on Nowaki's shoulder. A cursory glance at a nearby clock had told him it was still six am, and he knew his father wouldn't be up so early on his day off. He had inherited his father's morning tendencies and cranked them up to eleven, as Akihiko had told him once.

"Hiroki, are you still out here?" And there was Nobuhiro, wandering into the spacious living room. All Hiroki could think to do was pretend to still be asleep, even if it did mean he'd have to face his father later. He never heard his father's footsteps retreat after they came into the living room, though, because Nowaki's warmth put him back to sleep.


	56. The Confessed Truth

The Confessed Truth

When Hiroki finally woke up for good, it was nine o'clock and Nowaki was gone. He could hear Nowaki and his mother in the kitchen down the hall, talking and clinking dishes around as they made breakfast. Then he jumped about a foot in the air when he realized his father was sitting across the room from him in one of the armchairs.

"Good morning, Father!" Hiroki said, patting down his hair like he thought his father would care about that. His father had been reading something, though, and so hadn't even noticed Hiroki wake up.

"Ah, good morning, Hiroki," Nobuhiro said, and he put his book aside. When Hiroki stood up, his father did as well. "Actually, since we're alone, there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"…yes?" Hiroki knew it was coming, but he was still wary. There was also the fact that his relatives were starting to show up again, and he didn't feel like drawing more attention to himself than necessary in case it ended up in an all-out fight.

Nobuhiro looked slightly uncomfortable. "Is that friend of yours gay?"

And then a record scratched in Hiroki's head. He wasn't sure why, but the fact that his father didn't get it, after everything that had happened since that evening, pissed him off. Completely disregarding the relatives passing through, he picked up the book he'd been reading and said, "Yes, Father, and so am I," before stomping away.

His huff only lasted as long as it took him to get to the kitchen, where he saw Nowaki's smiling face as he picked up one of Hiroki's younger cousins. Hiroki sighed and leaned against the doorjamb. He really wished it were easier.


	57. The Observed Truth

The Observed Truth

Nobuhiro hovered around them for the rest of the day, mostly staying by his wife with the excuse that it was her birthday. Toko wasn't complaining, of course, but sometimes she'd catch him watching Hiroki like he was trying to figure something out.

After the reverie of the party was over, but most of their relatives were still around, Toko finally decided to ask. "What's the matter? You've been quiet all day."

Nobuhiro shook his head, finally taking his eyes away from his son. Hiroki had just been sitting there on the lawn, watching as Nowaki gave one of the kids a ride on his shoulders. The kid had been screaming about being a giant, mostly because they were all amazed at how tall he was.

Toko smiled and patted her husband on the back. "Hiroki tells me they've been together for seven years. I almost feel bad that I never noticed before."

"Almost?" Nobuhiro asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well! That would've put him in his last year of his undergraduate degree, and you know how little he liked to talk to us back then." She put her hands on her hips and sighed. "Honestly, if Kusama-san hadn't been there to take care of him, he very well could be dead by now. Cooking, cleaning, waking him up in the morning. Or so he says. Hiroki would never admit to things like that."

"Hiro-chan, give me a ride!" one of the other kids said when she wasn't picked to go up on Nowaki's shoulders next. She didn't even shrink back when Hiroki glared at her with the same glare that had sent his students screaming down the hall.

Nowaki, however, moved the child that had been clinging around his head and neck so he could have one on each shoulder, and they laughed in delight as he ran around, making airplane noises and grinning.

Nobuhiro had to admit, as he looked back at Hiroki, that he had never seen him smile like that.


	58. The Truth About First Love

The Truth About First Love

The Monday after his mother's birthday, Hiroki agreed to have lunch with Nowaki. He didn't know why, but his father's sudden and enthusiastic questions towards Nowaki Saturday night might have been the reason. He felt compelled to make it up to his boyfriend, even though Nowaki had been smiling the entire time and answering his questions without hesitation.

Nowaki was waiting outside the gate when someone approached him. It was a woman, actually about his age. "Nowaki Kusama?"

"Ayaka-san!" Nowaki smiled and stood up from where he'd sat against the gate, just waiting for Hiroki to finish his class so they could go to a restaurant.

The woman smiled. "I'm surprised you remember me, but it's hard to miss you. You were always the tallest person in class."

Nowaki looked sheepish as he put a hand behind his head. "Well, Hotaru always said I really grew when I was in junior high."

Ayaka nodded, hiking her bag up a little when the strap slipped down her shoulder. "Well, there was another reason I recognized you. I've seen your around a few times now. I didn't think it was you at first, since I haven't seen you since we graduated junior high. But I suppose you never forget your first love, even if he does reject you." She sighed wistfully.

"No, I suppose not." Nowaki had a complacent smile on his face. "But how are you doing?"

"Oh me? I'm engaged. Getting married once I get my graduate degree. Maybe share some of that debt with him," Ayaka said. "Do you go here as well?"

"No, I'm waiting for someone."

The saying 'speak of the devil and he shall appear' was appropriate right then, because when Nowaki turned, he could see Hiroki stomping out of the front of the building, terrifying students in his wake. He didn't even look at Nowaki as he left the gate. "Come on, I've got an hour until my next class. Fucking Miyagi, keeping me to do his own work."

"It was good to see you again, Ayaka-san." Nowaki bowed before running after his boyfriend. Hiroki was, apparently, distracted enough to not complain when Nowaki took his hand, because he was still ranting about Miyagi.

**I think I need to do a bunch of Terrorist stuff after this. No particular reason. So feel free to request!**


	59. Miyagi's Third Truth

Miyagi's Third Truth

Miyagi woke up one Saturday morning to find Shinobu wasn't with him. This wasn't completely unusual because of their different schedules, but they had nowhere to be on that particular day, and Shinobu always complained when Miyagi wouldn't stay with him at times like that.

"Ow!" came Shinobu's voice, and Miyagi shook his head. It sounded like he was trying to make breakfast. "Ow" wasn't the worst exclamation Shinobu had ever uttered while cooking.

Miyagi sighed and got dressed before going out to greet his boyfriend. It was a little suspicious that he didn't smell anything burning, but Shinobu might have just been at the preparation stage right then. When he finally got out into the kitchen, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. Shinobu was sitting there at the table, a pair of Miyagi's pants in front of him, a needle in his hand, and a spool of thread off to the side.

"What in the world are you doing?" he asked.

Shinobu jumped in surprise, sticking the needle right into his hand. Miyagi flinched, but Shinobu just pulled it back out. It didn't look like the first time that had happened. "Your pants were ripped," Shinobu said, as if it were the obvious answer.

"I don't remember having sewing supplies." Mostly because he never bothered to learn, and Risako was dangerous with any kind of sharp or pointed object when they first got married. It had taken him a while to trust her alone with the kitchen knives. Given that, he should've known better when Shinobu first said he'd cook.

Shinobu kept his eyes on his work. "I bought them last night, when you were busy grading papers or whatever. The woman at the store showed me how to sew." He pricked his finger again while trying to poke the needle through the fabric, and he cursed but kept going.

Miyagi smiled, and then he went up behind Shinobu's chair and hugged him around the shoulders. "You're too good to me, Shinobu-chin." He flinched when Shinobu stuck his finger again, managing to draw blood this time. "I'll get the bandages."

**I sew. It is serious business and not for the faint of heart.**


	60. The Bookstore Clerk's Second Truth

The Bookstore Clerk's Second Truth

It wasn't like Shinobu made a habit of hanging around used bookstores when he wasn't with Miyagi, but the man had texted him to say he'd be late getting home because of some meeting or another, and staying there at the apartment, making dinner for one, was a depressing thought. At least sitting among the shelves, Shinobu could be closer to his boyfriend than in that apartment he hardly spent time in.

As he sat there on the floor, gazing at a cookbook he'd read through a million times already, he couldn't help but feel like someone was watching him. When he looked up, all he saw was that clerk, a girl about his age, dusting the shelves and pointedly _not_ looking at him.

"What?" he asked, finally closing the book with a heavy thump and taking it in his arms. He probably had every recipe of interest memorized by that point, but he'd still take it home. He had a huge pile of cookbooks in Miyagi's study, just sitting there in the corner collecting dust. But it at least made it seem like he was going to try cooking new things, and it usually worked to stop Miyagi's teasing.

The girl hunched her shoulders, and she turned around and laughed a little as she waved around her feather duster. "Nothing! I was just wondering why Professor Miyagi wasn't with you today."

"He has a meeting at the university." Shinobu narrowed his eyes like he was assessing her intentions. She still looked nervous as hell, and Shinobu couldn't help but feel sympathy with that Demon Kamijou guy whenever he threw a book at someone. Shinobu's fingers itched to do it.

But then she backed away, her hands held up in a defensive stance. "I'm not going to steal him from you!" she said. "He's all yours!" Then she disappeared behind another shelf.

Shinobu huffed and stood up. "Good."

**Hanging out in the wifi-enabled Laundromat while my older sister does some loads of laundry. First time I've updated on a Saturday in a while. Weird.**


	61. The Truth About Driving

The Truth About Driving

Miyagi was shaky as he walked into the office he shared with Hiroki one morning. A student was in there, asking Hiroki about an assignment, but Miyagi didn't even notice her as he sat down at his desk.

"What's wrong with you, professor?" Hiroki asked.

"Shinobu got his driver's permit." He shook his head and opened the mug of coffee he'd had in his hand.

"Road rage?"

"Road rage." He sighed and reached for the pack of cigarettes he usually kept in his breast pocket, only to realize they fell out in his scramble to take the driver's seat after Shinobu drove them to T University. "I kept telling him to calm down, and he said he'll calm down when the other drivers stop being so incompetent." Then he eyed Hiroki. "I should get you to drive with him. That would put him in his place."

"I don't have a license, professor," Hiroki said as he took a pile of handouts for his first class into his hands. "And even if I did, nothing you could ever do for me would be worth putting up with your brat for that long."

Miyagi sighed. "You're a smarter man than me, Kamijou." Then he leaned back in his chair. "Then again, I'm sure his father promised him a car when he gets his license, so I only have to endure this for a few months."

"Assuming he passes his road test."

Miyagi shuddered and stood up. "I need more coffee."

Hiroki's student watched him as he left, then she turned to Hiroki. "Is Professor Miyagi going to be okay?"

"He hasn't been okay for as long as I've known him."

**My 21st birthday is coming up in August and I'll be going for my driver's permit. We novice drivers get a bad rap.**


	62. The First Parent Truth

The First Parent Truth

It started, simply enough, with a phone call. Miyagi's parents didn't believe in cell phones, filling in at least one cliché of people almost sixty years old. This meant they didn't have them, and also when Miyagi gave his parents his cell number, they never actually used it, opting instead to reach him on his landline and leave a message if he wasn't home. That day he wasn't home yet, but Shinobu was.

"Is that you, Yoh?" Miyagi's mother, Kanako, asked after Shinobu answered the phone.

"…no, he's not home right now," Shinobu said, guarded. "You can call his cell if you need to-"

"That won't be necessary." Kanako sighed. "Would you tell him to call his parents when he gets home?" Shinobu agreed, and that was the end of the conversation.

Shinobu just stared at the phone for the longest time until he heard the front door open. He turned to see Miyagi was home, slipping off his shoes and already reaching for a cigarette. "Old man! Why would your mother want you to call her?"

Miyagi looked momentarily puzzled. "She's my mother, Shinobu-chin. Wouldn't she just want to talk to me?" Then he seemed to realize something. "I told them I'd visit this weekend."

"And you weren't going to bring me?"

Miyagi blinked a few times, still looking puzzled. "It's just a visit. Nothing specific is happening."

"I told you I want to meet them!" Shinobu huffed and went into the kitchen to continue fixing their dinner which, miracle of miracles, didn't involve cabbage or pumpkin.

"I told you, you will when you turn twenty." Miyagi practically fell down onto the couch, an unlit cigarette in his mouth. "Besides, I know you'd want to drive there and my heart can't take much more."

Shinobu perked up at that. "You'd let me drive?"

Miyagi shuddered. What the hell had he just gotten himself into?


	63. The Second Parent Truth

The Second Parent Truth

It continued with another phone call, one Miyagi placed Friday morning. He'd dumped his classes on Hiroki so he could go early but also so he could have an excuse to not bring Shinobu. It didn't exactly work.

"Shinobu, your father is going to have a fit if he finds out you skipped class," Miyagi said when he saw the overnight bag over Shinobu's shoulder. Miyagi was just dialing the phone to call his parents and say he was on his way when Shinobu walked out of the bedroom. Miyagi had been so preoccupied he wasn't even aware Shinobu was still home.

"It's not like he's going to find out." Shinobu narrowed his eyes and wiggled his cell phone around in his hand. "You can't tell where a cell phone is, old man."

Miyagi scowled. "I'm young enough to know that much." Then he turned away. "Mother! I'm heading out right now, I just have a couple things to take care of."

"I'm not a thing!" Shinobu said, making sure he was loud enough so Kanako would hear it. "And there's nothing to take care of! I'm coming with you."

"Was that the person who answered the phone the other night?" Kanako asked. "Who is he?"

"…Risako's little brother. He's staying with me while he goes to T University." Miyagi knew Shinobu was scowling at him, but he didn't dare turn around.

"Well he's more than welcome to visit as well! The more the merrier." Miyagi would bet a lot of money that his mother was smiling and thinking about what it would be like to have a young kid around again. She had always been disappointed more that Risako had never had a child than that the two had divorced.

Miyagi glanced over his shoulder to see that Shinobu was smirking. He had obviously heard. "Of course. I'll see you then." Then he hung up the phone and looked over at Shinobu. "Stop smirking, brat."

"I like your mother. She sounds nice."

"Yeah, yeah."


	64. The Third Parent Truth

The Third Parent Truth

Miyagi had managed to take away Shinobu's driving privileges about halfway through the trip, so by the time they reached his childhood home, he wasn't jittery. He was quite relaxed, in fact, mostly because Shinobu had fallen asleep just like the first time they drove out together so he hadn't had someone glaring at him the entire time.

"Yoh!" Kanako called. They lived in a large farmhouse, one that looked lived-in even from the outside, and she came running out the front door. "You certainly made good time! Your father isn't home from work yet."

Miyagi glanced in at Shinobu, who was just waking up. They had made good time because Shinobu had been a speed demon, only stopping when he realized he had to use the bathroom. Miyagi had forgone a rest stop so he could take the wheel before they got pulled over. He was actually surprised it had worked.

"Oi, Shinobu-chin, I'm going down to my father's store, why don't you bring our things in?" Miyagi said.

"Yoh! Why would you put all that work on him? You're perfectly capable of carrying your own things," Kanako said as Shinobu got out of the car, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Mother, don't baby him," Miyagi said, sighing. "He isn't a kid. He's nineteen." Kanako ignored him, and Miyagi just shook his head and took his bag out of the trunk.

Shinobu went up to do the same, and as he took his own things, he said, "So I'm only a kid when you're feeling guilty?"

"Oh shut up."


	65. The Old Friend's Almost Truth

The Old Friend's Almost Truth

"My father bought a store so he could sell the things he grows on the farm," Miyagi explained as Shinobu followed him downtown.

"He bought a whole store so he could sell some vegetables?" Shinobu asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah. I worked there as a kid, to save up money so I could move to Tokyo when I graduated." Miyagi stared up at the sky as they walked. "I'd sneak packs of cigarettes when no one was looking. To this day I don't think my father knows."

Shinobu looked at him sideways. "You're a horrible influence."

"I told him that every day in school." They had reached the somewhat small store, and there was a man standing outside, wearing an apron over his clothes and smoking a cigarette. "Yoh Miyagi. What's the fancy-pants city man doing back here?"

"Visiting my parents. Is the old man in there?" Miyagi asked. The man nodded, and Miyagi patted Shinobu on the head before going in by himself.

There was an awkward silence as Shinobu stood there with his arms folded and the man continued to smoke, starting at Shinobu out of the corner of his eye. "So uh, who are you?" the man asked.

"Who are _you_?" Shinobu countered.

They stared at each other after that, neither looking like they wanted to yield.

"Don't let him get to you, Hideaki." Miyagi patted Shinobu on the head again, and Shinobu jumped in surprise. "Shinobu, this is Hideaki Watanabe. He was one of my classmates in high school. Hideaki, this is Shinobu Takatsuki, my boss's son."

"You dragged your boss's son all the way out here?"

Miyagi scowled. "He didn't leave me much choice." Then he turned to Shinobu. "My father said he'd be home for dinner. Why don't we get back? I'm sure my mother could teach you a thing or two about cooking."

"You said you liked my cooking!" Shinobu said, following Miyagi as he speed-walked down the street.

"Of course, Shinobu-chin! You've gotten much better!"

"You're an idiot, Miyagi!"

Hideaki just stood there with his cigarette between his lips, unsure what he had just been a witness to.


	66. The Truth About The Past

The Truth About the Past

Shinobu kept his head down as he and Miyagi washed the dishes from dinner. The conversation had been innocent enough so far, mostly involving Kanako asking how Risako was doing and Shinobu saying that he hadn't talked to his sister in a while.

"You probably remember hearing her at the wedding, telling us to give her a lot of grandchildren," Miyagi said, keeping his eyes on the soapy water instead of Shinobu. His mother and father were outside right then, so he felt safe talking about it. "I was kind of a terror when I was a teenager and I think my mother wants another chance."

Shinobu frowned down at the plate he'd been drying. "Well sorry that I can't give you that." And then he put the plate aside and threw down the hand cloth.

"Shinobu-chin," Miyagi sighed, putting down his dish cloth and taking Shinobu by the wrist when he tried to escape. "I never really wanted kids, anyway. I've got enough on my plate without having to take care of _another_ screaming child." He managed a smile at his own joke even as Shinobu glared daggers at him.

"You don't have to take care of me," he said, taking his wrist out of Miyagi's grip.

Miyagi cocked an eyebrow. "What was all that talk about taking responsibility, then?"

"You know what I mean! You said yourself that I'm not a kid. I'll be twenty next year." Shinobu picked the hand cloth back up and went back to drying dishes, but he was peeking at Miyagi out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes, and I'll be sure to bring you drinking. I want to see what you're like with some alcohol in you." Miyagi grinned and went back to washing.

"By the way, I don't remember your mother talking about grandchildren at the wedding," Shinobu said.

"Well you were pretty busy glaring at me." Miyagi flicked some bubbles from the dish pan at Shinobu, and they hit him on the face.

Shinobu just stood there for a few seconds, and then he reached into the soapy water, scooped some of it into his hands, and dumped it over Miyagi's head. Miyagi screamed dramatically and went to get more water to dump on Shinobu when his mother poked her head into the kitchen.

"…Yoh, what are you doing?" she asked, glancing at her sopping-wet son and the pissed-off Shinobu.

Miyagi grinned and held up his dish rag. "Just doing the dishes, Mother."


	67. The Fourth Parent Truth

The Fourth Parent Truth

It was about midnight when Miyagi woke up and saw Shinobu wasn't on the futon that had been laid out for him. Miyagi's old room had long-since been relegated to storage, but the living room was spacious and they had both been put there for the night. But, as stated earlier, Shinobu wasn't on his futon, and he hadn't crawled in with Miyagi, either.

Miyagi found Shinobu sitting outside, staring up at the stars.

"Nice, isn't it?"

Shinobu jumped in surprise; he hadn't even heard Miyagi approaching. He glared at the older man only briefly.

"I guess," he admitted. "You can't see this kind of thing in Tokyo."

"Yeah. It makes me homesick sometimes. And some of my friends, like Hideaki, constantly told me at graduation that I shouldn't leave." His face was carefully blank.

Shinobu huffed and stood up. "I can't imagine staying in a backwater place like this. You were right to come out to Tokyo."

"You wouldn't understand it, would you?" But Miyagi was smiling. Despite Shinobu's cold act, he could tell what he was really thinking: that if Miyagi hadn't gone to Tokyo, they never would've met.

"I was itching to leave by that time, anyway," Miyagi said. "I needed a fresh start." Then he pulled Shinobu back down beside him, and he wrapped an arm around the younger guy's shoulders. "Relaxing is nice, but I live for the excitement of M University now."

Shinobu snorted, but he didn't protest when Miyagi leaned in and kissed him.

"You know we can't do anything more than this until we get back home," Miyagi pointed out when he pulled away, pressing their foreheads together.

"Old men need their breaks," Shinobu countered. Miyagi quieted him with another kiss, at least until the door opened behind them.

"Yoh?" It was Kanako.

Miyagi froze for a few seconds before pulling away from the dismayed Shinobu. "Hello, Mother! Nice night, huh?"

Kanako didn't look convinced.


	68. The Fifth Parent Truth

The Fifth Parent Truth

"I can't believe you!" Kanako had been ranting for nearly half an hour as Miyagi just sat there at the kitchen table, watching her in silence. Shinobu sat in the living room on his futon, his knees pulled up to his chest. There was no way he'd be able to sleep through this.

Kanako finally fell silent when it became clear that her son wasn't going to rant and rave at her like he might have when he was a teenager. They'd had a similar conversation when he was in high school about the teacher he always spent time with, but Miyagi had been more vocal then, telling her that she had no right to tell him who he could love.

"I know I asked you this already, but what exactly were you thinking? He's still a child!" Kanako sat down in the seat across from her son and just looked tired. Ranting and raving will do that to you.

"He's the one that wouldn't stop talking about destiny." It was the first thing Miyagi had said since his mother sat him down, and to Kanako, it seemed utterly ridiculous.

"What in the world are you talking about?"

"He was studying in Australia. As soon as he heard Risako and I divorced, he got on a plane just so he could come back home and confess to me." Miyagi wouldn't look at his mother. "I know it's stupid, Mother. But he won't leave me alone. And maybe I don't want him to."

"You know I could contact his parents and let them know about this… whatever it is," Kanako said, looking over to the phone as if she wanted to do it right then, despite it being one in the morning. The moment she saw the terror in her son's eyes, though, she shook her head. "Yoh, I always knew you did foolish things but I thought you would've learned your lesson back then."

"Maybe I'm glad he didn't learn his lesson!" And there was Shinobu. "If you don't want me here I'll leave."

"What's with the I? You only have your permit," Miyagi said, distracted for a second by the prospect of Shinobu running off in his car by himself. It was terrifying.

Kanako watched the two argue about traffic laws, and then she bowed her head. "I invited you two for the weekend and I won't ask you to leave. We'll talk more about this in the morning."

Shinobu frowned, but he brightened slightly when Miyagi put a hand on his shoulder. "Well, you wanted to be introduced as my lover. Was it everything you thought it would be?"

Shinobu narrowed his eyes and stomped back to the futon. Miyagi could be such an idiot sometimes.


	69. The Truth That Comes From Bonding

The Truth That Comes From Bonding

After the display the previous night, Miyagi was reluctant to get up out of his futon even when he knew he wasn't going back to sleep. He heard murmuring in the kitchen and dishes being moved around, but he couldn't tell who was in there. He assumed, though, that it was his mother and father, taking the chance to talk while Miyagi wasn't around.

"You have to be patient." His mother's voice finally came up loud enough for Miyagi to make out what she was saying, and he frowned. There really was no hint about what they were talking about. Against his better judgment, he got up from his bed and forwent his usual morning rituals so he could go straight into the kitchen.

Only to see his mother and Shinobu standing at the stove, Shinobu with such an intense look of concentration on his face that it almost made Miyagi laugh. Just to make sure he wasn't seeing things, though, Miyagi glanced back into the living room. Sure enough, both futons were empty. The covers on Shinobu's had been kicked to the end of the mattress.

"Mother?" Miyagi said hesitantly. His mother waved at him but didn't turn from the stove. "What's going on?"

"Shinobu here offered to make breakfast but it didn't turn out so well the first time." His mother was watching the rice cooking like a hawk.

Miyagi couldn't help but feel a burst of affection for him, and he went over and patted him on the head, running his fingers through his hair. "How long have you been up?" he asked.

"Never went to bed."

Kanako caught her son's eye. Miyagi was rolling his eyes, but she smiled. He couldn't help but feel like he had missed something.


	70. The Truth About Hiding

The Truth About Hiding

Sunday night, Hiroki and Nowaki were enjoying one of the few times they both had work off when there came a knock at the door. Hiroki pointedly ignored it as he continued reading but Nowaki being, well, Nowaki, couldn't help but get up and answer it. He wasn't sure who to expect, since they weren't supposed to be having anyone over that evening, and his eyebrows rose when he saw Miyagi standing there.

"Can I help you, professor?" he asked, doing his best to not sound irritated. He knew Hiroki and Miyagi had nothing going on, and according to Hiroki, Miyagi had been flirting with him less since he got his own lover. It still irritated Nowaki, however, when he remembered what he had walked in on that day he ran to the university, hoping to find Hiroki.

Miyagi's eyes shifted over to Hiroki, who was sitting on the couch and pointedly ignoring him as he pretended to read a book. Hiroki, in the end though, couldn't help but make a snide remark. "Did that brat of yours kick you out?"

"You can't very well kick someone out of their own apartment," Miyagi said, but he had his arms folded, and he didn't even notice that Nowaki had moved out of the way so he could come in.

"So he did." Hiroki rolled his eyes but didn't protest when Miyagi sat down on the floor in the entryway, looking quite at home.

"You've got a nice place here, Kamijou," he said as he pulled off his shoes. "Much better than your last apartment."

Nowaki simply went back to fixing their dinner, deciding to leave that one alone.

"That was two apartments ago, professor," Hiroki said, and he finally closed his book. "And what is it with you and hiding from Takatsukis when you get into a fight?"

"Aw, I didn't hide at your apartment _that much_ when Risako and I were getting divorced."

"Twelve times, professor."

"You are horrible."


	71. You Can't Hide From The Truth

You Can't Hide From The Truth

Miyagi refused to go home after dinner; he'd said something about Shinobu meeting his parents and getting along so well with them that his mother, Kanako, had managed to make Shinobu even more insistent that he drop bad habits, such as smoking. Before Hiroki went to take his shower, he had told Miyagi that if he wanted to smoke, he could do it outside. He didn't even let Akihiko smoke when he was over, so why would he let _him_?

It was about nine at night when Hiroki came out of the bathroom, still rubbing water out of his hair. He'd heard Miyagi's voice when he got out of the shower, and he was ready to go in and tell him to go the hell home when he realized that someone else was there in the apartment. Nowaki looked slightly uncomfortable as he smiled at Hiroki and went to use the shower himself.

He wanted to ask Akihiko what he was doing there, but the man had already fallen asleep on the couch. The fact that he and Nowaki hadn't been kicked out of their bedroom was a miracle.

"Professor, go home," Hiroki said, sounding tired as he sat down at his table. "We have classes tomorrow. You need to get ready."

"What about him?" Miyagi asked, looking up from the book he'd plucked from one of Hiroki's many shelves.

Hiroki ducked his head, avoiding looking at Akihiko as best he could. "I couldn't get him to leave if I wanted to. He's probably hiding from his editor."

Miyagi looked interested as he looked at Hiroki, and he put the book he'd been reading down and walked up to Hiroki. They were locked in a stare-down until Miyagi had the guts to say anything. "I should probably go home and make sure Shinobu hasn't burned down the apartment." Then he backed away and added, "Try not to make your boyfriend too jealous, _Hiro-san_." He ran for it when he saw that Hiroki was scowling, picking up his shoes at the door instead of pausing to put them on. He managed to close the door behind him just before Hiroki got his hands on a book and chucked it.


	72. The Truth At The Gate

The Truth At The Gate

The next morning, Akihiko had offered to drive Hiroki to the university, since he had to bring Misaki there, anyway. Hiroki had refused, and Nowaki still didn't say anything, just sitting there at Eri-chan's cage and staring at her. Nowaki had an afternoon shift, so he wouldn't be home when Hiroki finished up with his classes and work, so unfortunately, they wouldn't get to talk about any of it until the evening.

In the end, though, Hiroki really had no good excuse for why he couldn't take up Akihiko on his offer. So by the time they got to the university, Akihiko had a scowling Hiroki in the front seat and a terrified-looking Misaki cowering in the back. When Akihiko stopped, Misaki ran for it before he could tell if the people milling around campus, waiting for their classes to start, had seen him get out of the same car as Kamijou the Devil. It was hard enough every day just with Akihiko, after all.

"Hey, Hiroki," Akihiko called as Hiroki closed his door, daring any of the students staring at him to say something. "Want to go out to lunch? You can look at my new manuscript before I turn it in to Aikawa."

"You should've just given it to her already," Hiroki said, glaring at Akihiko through the open window.

"But they're always better after you get a chance to look at them." Akihiko said it so bluntly that Hiroki wanted to smack him for his utter obliviousness.

But he didn't. Instead, he switched his bag to his other hand and said, "No. Nowaki doesn't go to work until three so he'll probably be over. Save your editor some misery and drop it off now."

Akihiko rolled his eyes as he put his car back in gear. "Yes, _mother._"

"Your mother doesn't even care about your writing!" Hiroki yelled as Akihiko peeled away, his tires squealing on the pavement. Hiroki turned to see the students were all watching him, wide-eyed. "What are you looking at?"


	73. Nowaki's Fifth Truth

Nowaki's Fifth Truth

"Hiro-san," Nowaki said that night when he walked into their bedroom. Hiroki had been reading a book to disguise the fact that he'd been waiting for Nowaki to come home, and just to keep up the image, Hiroki looked up once before turning a page. Nowaki, of course, took that as an invitation to continue. "Do you think I should get a driver's license?"

Hiroki couldn't help it; he let the book fall shut in his lap and just stared at his boyfriend who, for his part, looked completely and utterly serious about his question. Hiroki took off his glasses and put a hand to his forehead. "Nowaki. Why would you think you need to?"

"Usami-san and Miyagi-san both have cars," Nowaki said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. His eyes were hidden under his always-shaggy bangs, though, so the only way Hiroki could tell what Nowaki was thinking was by the fact that he was frowning. "It seems much more convenient than having to go on the train or walk everywhere."

Hiroki sighed and moved over to sit beside his boyfriend, temporarily willing to shelve at least some of his pride. "We're both fine with the way things are now. Besides, it costs a lot to maintain a car. And the traffic can be horrible so it would be quicker to just use the train."

Nowaki smiled at that. It was just a small one, but it made Hiroki feel better. Just for good measure, though, he added, "Besides, if either of us got a license, it would be me."

"Why is that, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked, watching Hiroki crawl back to his side of the bed and pull the covers over himself.

"Like hell I'd let you drop me off at the university every day," came the muffled response.

Nowaki knew, of course, that if he ever got a license, that would be exactly how it turned out. And that thought made his smile larger.


	74. The Patient's Second Truth

The Patient's Second Truth

Nowaki had never managed to get Hiroki into the hospital to meet that tonsillectomy patient before she had to leave, and so he had expected the meeting would never happen. The fact that this was not true became abundantly clear when, as he put his long, white coat in his locker, he saw a vaguely familiar little girl hobbling down the hall on crutches. He hadn't been aware that someone came in with a broken leg, but there she was.

"Kusama-sensei!" she called, and Nowaki immediately remembered her, or at least her given name. It was Naoko.

Nowaki smiled and closed his locker. "Hello, Naoko-chan. What happened to you?"

"I fell out of my bedroom window," Naoko said, frowning. "How come you weren't the one who treated me?"

"Well, I'm not the only doctor here," he pointed out kindly. Naoko followed him as he went on his way; he'd seen Hiroki sitting there in his usual place in a waiting room by the door, reading a book and pretending that he didn't even notice Nowaki go by. "Shouldn't you be with your parents?"

"That's no fun," Naoko said, frowning. They finally got to the waiting room, and Naoko stared at Hiroki as he continued to not acknowledge them. "Who's that?"

"That's Hiro-san," Nowaki said. Hiroki's eye twitched; he was obviously listening in. "Hiro-san, this is Naoko-chan. She's wanted to meet you."

Hiroki put down his book, but instead of looking at Naoko, he stared straight at Nowaki. "What have I told you about talking about me to your patients?"

"But you're an important part of my life, Hiro-san. And they like it," Nowaki said. He watched as Naoko hobbled over to Hiroki and stared at the book he was reading.

"Mommy reads those!" she declared.

Nowaki rose his eyebrows. The cover he'd seen had been one of the academic journals Hiroki always kept in the front of the apartment, but on closer inspection, it seemed Hiroki had been intently reading the newest Akikawa novel that Akihiko had sent him. All Hiroki could do was stutter and tell her off, though he didn't sound very convincing.


	75. Takahiro's Second Truth

Takahiro's Second Truth

It wasn't that Takahiro was a stupid guy, necessarily. He just had his own ways of seeing the world, and they mostly involved heterosexual marriage and 2.5 children. Misaki had once asked him how you had half a child, and he had joked that they'd be born without legs or something. Misaki hadn't found it very funny.

After Takahiro visited his old friend Hiroki, though, he had a feeling that he should talk to Usagi. After all, Usagi and Hiroki were closer than Takahiro was to Hiroki, and Usagi might want to know about this development.

"So where's Misaki?" Takahiro asked as he sat down on one of the couches in Usagi's spacious living room. As he looked around, he couldn't help but think that he would never get over how big the place was. He could see why Misaki wanted to stay here; his bedroom alone was probably about as big as the apartment they'd lived in after their parents died.

"Classes," Usagi said, leaning back and taking a drag from his cigarette. "So what was it you wanted to tell me?"

Takahiro suddenly sat bolt upright, almost like he had forgotten that there was a specific reason for his visit. "I visited Kamijou the other day!" He stopped, waiting for Usagi to say something. When he didn't, he continued with, "Did you know he's gay? They're even living together!"

Usagi stopped for a moment and stared at Takahiro. He managed to say, though, "Yes, Nowaki Kusama? I met him when Hiroki and I were still in college." He managed not to add 'in a manner of speaking,' since their first meeting had come to an abrupt end that wasn't even explained when the three of them went to lunch about a month later.

"You knew that long?" Takahiro asked, his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline in a comical fashion.

Usagi ducked his head and paid more attention to his cigarette. Takahiro really was the most clueless person he'd ever met. "There are probably more gay people around you than you're aware, Takahiro."

"Like who?"

Usagi shrugged. "Like me."

There was a drawn-out silence, in which Takahiro just sat there, smiling like an idiot. Finally, he said, "You? Does… Misaki know?"

The cigarette fell out of Usagi's mouth as he just gaped, though in the most elegant way he could manage of course. This was going to be hard.


	76. The Truth About Tall People

The Truth About Tall People

Hiroki tended to avoid Marimo Books after encountering that tall cashier, and when he needed to get a book that was too new to be in a used store, he found himself going to a place near the university called Be-Books.

"I'm stopping by the bookstore. Do you need anything, since I'm still out?" Hiroki asked into the phone as he pushed through the front doors. Nowaki had had the night shift five days straight and was currently enjoying his weekend off. He'd offered to pick up Hiroki when he got out of his last class, but Hiroki had insisted he stay home and rest.

"Um… if you're going to the market, could you get some stewing beef? I haven't started dinner yet because we're out."

"Yeah, sure." Hiroki glanced around. There was a new edition of a novel he was teaching in one of his classes soon, and he wanted to get it so he could see the differences between that and his version. "Anything else?"

"No, Hiro-san." Nowaki's voice was soft, and Hiroki knew what was coming next. "I love you."

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too. I'll see you soon." He ended the call before Nowaki could get any more mushy, and as he put his phone away, he knocked into someone. "Hey, watch it!"

"S-sorry."

Hiroki froze when he realized he was looking at the guy's upper arm. He slowly rose his head to look him in the eye, and he jumped. The guy had to be around 200 centimeters tall!

"Urk…" was all Hiroki managed.

"Professor Kamijou?" the guy asked, sounding just as terrified as Hiroki. He ducked his head and tried to escape, but no such luck.

"Keito-kun, there you are!" This man wasn't nearly as tall as Keito. In fact, he was a little shorter than Hiroki. With his big eyes and sprinkling of freckles across his nose and cheekbones, he looked like a high school student. "I thought you said you were going to wait in my department."

A blush came over Keito's cheeks as the man led him out. "I'm sorry, Seri-san. It got so busy and crowds make me nervous."

Seri-san grinned and patted Keito on the back. "It's okay! But you're buying the lattes today."

Keito smiled and nodded as the door closed behind them.

Hiroki still wasn't sure he knew who Keito was, but as he headed for the section his book would be in, he thanked the universe that at least he didn't work there.

**So it's my mission to rescue all the yaoi manga from my local Borders, and I recently got a copy of Café Latte Rhapsody. It quickly replaced Only the Ring Finger Knows as my favorite one-shot. It's so cute! And for those curious, Keito is, in fact, 196 centimeters tall. For reference, Nowaki tells Hiroki in the first Egoist act that he's 186 centimeters tall. Yeah, I'm scared, too.**


	77. Shinoda's Third Truth

Shinoda's Third Truth

Shinoda didn't actually know where Hiroki lived or how to contact him, so the next time they saw each other, it was at the restaurant Pandasan. Shinoda was there with his daughter, Emi. He'd never been into Pandasan before, so this unexpected surprise positively delighted him.

"Hey, Kamijou-kun!"

Hiroki jumped in surprise at his name being called across the restaurant, and he whipped around, since he was sitting on the side of the booth that faced away from the door. Nowaki looked up curiously.

"Kusama-sensei!" Emi squealed, and she ran ahead of her father and jumped into the tall man's lap like it was nothing. "How come you aren't at the hospital?"

Nowaki patted Emi on the head absentmindedly. "I don't live at the hospital, you know. I have a home, just like you."

"Really?" Emi's eyes were huge, like she had just been told that her teachers didn't sleep under their desks at school every night.

Nowaki nodded. "Hiro-san and I live right down the street, see?" He pointed out the window to an apartment complex that you could just see from their position.

Meanwhile, Hiroki was looking positively scandalized as Shinoda sat down beside him. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, inching away from Shinoda until he was right up against the window.

"Bringing my daughter out to eat. Is that not allowed, Hiro-san?" He had a smile on his face, one that positively glowed with amusement. He'd watched the two for a few seconds before calling out to Hiroki, and even though they weren't even looking at each other, he could feel the fluffy atmosphere that surrounded the two. It was almost like the shojo manga Shinoda's ex-wife had been so into, when he thought about it. The only thing that was missing was a pink, flowery background.

"Don't call me that," Hiroki said, emphasizing his point with a glare.

"Why?"

Hiroki ducked his head and stared down at his cup of tea. "Never mind that. Just go get your own table."

They both looked over to Nowaki and Emi, who looked happy together as they talked, Emi still sitting on Nowaki's lap.

"You know," Shinoda said, taking off his knit cap. "I think we're happy right here."

**Midnight Reader wanted more Shinoda, so here he is XD I've been meaning to do this, anyway. Hope you enjoyed it.**


	78. The Thesis Student's Truth

The Thesis Student's Truth

Hiroki couldn't remember a time when he'd actually agreed to have one of the students he was supposed to be advising go over to his house. It was true that most professors at the university were supposed to be watching over a few, advising them on what classes to take the next semester and talking to them about their grades when they started slipping, but no one ever assigned to Hiroki ever had much to say to him.

This girl, though, Imai-san, was graduating and needed help on her thesis. Maybe it was the fact that Hiroki still remembered his theses- both of them, from his bachelor degree and from his doctorate- that made him sympathize with her. There was also the fact that half the books she needed for research weren't in the university library, and when she'd timidly presented him with the annotated list, he had simply said, "I have those," and that was that.

"Professor Kamijou, who's Kusama?" Imai asked, looking at the name plate on the apartment. It had both Kusama and Kamijou, but Nowaki's name was first. That had pissed Hiroki off to no end when he saw it.

"…my roommate," Hiroki muttered as he slipped off his shoes.

Imai blinked and tilted her head. "I didn't know people your age still had roommates."

"How the _fuck_ old do you think I am?" Hiroki demanded, and Imai shrunk back into the hallway. Hiroki saw the terrified look on her face and sighed. "Just get in here. I'll take the books you need off their shelves." He waved his hand towards the two couches. "Sit."

Imai glanced around the apartment instead of sitting, taking everything in. It was a two bedroom, from what she could tell, but the smaller of the rooms was used as an office. While Hiroki muttered to himself, looking between his bookshelves and the slip of paper in his hand, Imai carefully padded down the hallway. She briefly acknowledged the guinea pig in its cage, making a note to ask Hiroki what its name was before going to the bedroom.

The bedroom contained even more books. There was one bookshelf in there but even more books in piles, surrounding a queen-sized bed. Hiroki's laptop was sitting open on the bed, and Imai couldn't help it; she snuck over and moved her finger on the track pad so it would wake up. All she really wanted to see was his desktop wallpaper. She had always imagined he'd have some boring, solid color.

Instead what she got was a picture of a younger-looking Hiroki, scowling at the camera and holding a rolled-up paper in his hands. Imai guessed it was a diploma, from the ribbon wrapped around it. A tall man with distant-looking eyes and black hair smiled down at Hiroki, and if the picture weren't cut off just before Hiroki's shoulder ended, you would've seen the man had his arm wrapped around Hiroki's shoulders. You could still tell, though.

"Imai-san?" Hiroki called, still in his office. "Your handwriting is terrible."

"I know, professor," Imai said, and she quickly shut the laptop and went to identify the titles he couldn't read.


	79. The First Award Truth

The First Award Truth

Hiroki decided he hated receiving invitations in the mail. In this case, it came from Marukawa Publishing, specifically "The desk of Eri Aikawa." Hiroki briefly glared back at Eri-chan's cage as if this were somehow all her fault, but the guinea pig was fast asleep. He knew what it was: Akihiko had received another award, and he was invited to the congratulatory party. He had been invited to the first two and had refused to go. The first had been when he lived on his own so he could just throw it away, but the second time he'd had to hide it from Nowaki.

Nowaki wasn't home, since his shift at the hospital didn't end for a couple more hours. In accordance with Hiroki's luck, though, his phone rang as he was about to tear up the invitation without even opening the envelope. He half expected it to be Nowaki, acting on some kind of instinct he seemed to have when Hiroki was trying to be anti-social.

It was, however, Akihiko.

"Did you get the invitation from Aikawa?" he asked by way of greeting.

Hiroki stared at his phone, then at the envelope in his hands. "If I say no will you leave me alone?"

"Well, it's not as if it matters to me if you go. I told Aikawa I would if you did this time." Akihiko's voice was indifferent, but Hiroki knew better than that.

"Yeah, because I don't babysit you enough." Hiroki rolled his eyes. But then he looked at the envelope, flipping it over a few times in his hands after propping his cell phone on his shoulder. "Fine, whatever. I'll go, but only because I know for a fact that editor of yours has to put up with more shit than I do."

"You can bring Kusama if it would make you feel better."

"Goodbye, Akihiko."


	80. The Second Award Truth

The Second Award Truth

Hiroki hadn't worn a real suit in years. True, he'd wear dress shirts and slacks to work, but the kind of suit you'd wear to the award party for an internationally-famous author wasn't exactly something he kept ready in his closet.

Nowaki was getting out of the shower, nothing but a pair of pajama pants on and a towel over his head as he dried his hair, when he found Hiroki sitting in front of their open bedroom closet. He was considering it like it might tell him the meaning of life if he just stared at it long enough.

"Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked, and he sat down beside Hiroki.

"I have one suit and it doesn't even fit me anymore," Hiroki said, still staring at the shoes on the floor.

"When was the last time you wore it?"

Hiroki considered this. "My twentieth birthday. My parents threw this overly-fancy party for me, with a formal dress code and everything." He looked annoyed just thinking about it. It made Nowaki wonder why he had accepted the invitation to Akihiko's party, but then, he didn't like thinking too hard about Hiroki and Akihiko's relationship.

"Would you like to go shopping for one?"

"No." Hiroki got up and closed the closet door, probably hoping that it would also close the issue.

Nowaki's face fell, though. Hiroki glanced at him only briefly before going over to their bed. "I said no."

"I know, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, and he opened their closet and started looking through it himself. He did this for about two minutes, quite aware that Hiroki's eye was twitching the entire time.

"…you don't have a suit either, do you?"

"No, Hiro-san." Nowaki smiled. "Clothes shopping is kind of hard for me, since I'm so tall."

And that was that.


	81. The Seamstress' Truth

The Seamstress' Truth

In the end, they went to a department store. Akihiko had offered to bring them both to some upscale establishment that would make them clothes from scratch, but Hiroki had called him an idiot and that was the end of that line of thought. He was perfectly fine with getting measured and having to have the suits altered. It was still cheaper than any clothes he might find at a place Akihiko regularly shopped.

Hiroki's quest was easier, since he was average-sized for a man. Nowaki, however, ended up on a stool, being measured by a girl who worked in the department.

"My goodness, just how tall are you?" the girl asked, throwing her tape measure over her shoulder and removing her glasses. She was a bit frazzled as she stared up at Nowaki, who was looking a little uncomfortable.

"Um," Nowaki said, glancing over at Hiroki as if he had the answer. Hiroki had been sitting in a seat a few feet away the entire time, reading. "I guess around 190 centimeters? I haven't measured myself in years but I guess I've grown since then."

"You _have_ grown and it's fucking annoying," Hiroki muttered, turning a page in his book. "My second apartment should've had lower doorways just so I could prove a point."

Nowaki frowned when the seamstress finally let him down from the stool. "That's not very nice, Hiro-san."

"Whatever," he said, glancing over at the seamstress. "Are you done?"

She nodded, but she still talked with Nowaki about the suit he'd be getting. Hiroki sighed and glanced around until his eyes landed on a group of girls. They were all dressed in the department store's uniform, and they were watching Nowaki and Hiroki with rapt attention.

Hiroki's eye twitched. "Nowaki! I'm going to the bookstore."

"Okay, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, but he looked a little puzzled as he watched his boyfriend stomp through. The group of girls parted to let him through before closing in again.

"Kana-san!" one girl said, rushing up to the seamstress like Nowaki wasn't even there. "Do you remember those books I showed you the other day?"

"By Yayoi Akikawa?" Kana asked, scratching her head.

Nowaki ducked his head and blushed. He'd read snippets of the books that Akihiko (very loosely) based off him and Hiroki. Every single eye was on him, and he suddenly wished that Hiroki hadn't left.

**I was debating whether to have a chapter like this, but StandingOnTheRooftops seemed so enthusiastic I couldn't resist :D**


	82. The Neighbor's Third Truth

The Neighbor's Third Truth

Mai Sato lurked outside the Kusama-Kamijou apartment, holding her baby girl in her arms and wondering what was going on. Hiroki was yelling more than usual, but instead of just accepting it, Nowaki was admonishing him. Mai couldn't hear what was being said above Hiroki's yelling, though, which just got louder and louder. She was honestly surprised she was the first one to go over and make sure they weren't killing each other.

Finally it quieted down, and Mai got up the courage to shift her child into one arm and knock on the door. "Kamijou-san? Kusama-san? Is everything okay in there?" She was honestly surprised when the door opened. She had been expecting Hiroki to yell at her through the closed door, telling her to go home and maybe calling her a few names that shouldn't be heard by the innocent ears of a child. The man had quite a temper on him when he got himself worked up.

"Oh, hello Sato-san," Nowaki said. He looked like he was dressed to go somewhere fancy, but Hiroki was sitting in the background on the couch, sulking and holding Eri-chan over one shoulder. "Yes, everything's fine. I'm sorry if we disturbed you."

Mai eyed the scene one more time before nodding. "If you're sure…"

"Yes. Hiro-san and I are just going out in about an hour and he's not very happy about it." Nowaki smiled like he was telling her that it was supposed to be sunny for the next few days.

Finally, Mai nodded. "Well, um, have fun." As she made her way back to her apartment, even her daughter looked like she had no idea what the proper response was to all that.


	83. The Third Award Truth

The Third Award Truth

Nowaki didn't exactly look out-of-place among all the high-society guests at Akihiko's award party, but he certainly felt out-of-place. The only time he'd ever been to parties like that was when he worked for a catering company when he was younger, and even then he mostly stayed out of the way and refilled buffet trays when needed.

Hiroki, on the other hand, had gotten into a social groove and was talking with everyone who approached him. That was another reason Nowaki felt out-of-place; he was a friendly person, but he really had nothing in common with these people. Finally, after smiling at the people who noticed him for half an hour, he decided to make himself useful and get a glass of wine for Hiroki.

As soon as he left, Hiroki, who'd just gotten out of a conversation, was approached by a woman. "You're Hiroki Kamijou, yes? Usami-sensei tells me you're the one who always gets to look at his books first," she said with a smile. She offered him a glass, but Hiroki shook his head and glanced over to the bar. Nowaki was smiling and chatting with the bartender. Somehow, Hiroki could believe it.

"Yes, and you are?" He tried his best to sound interested, but it wasn't even an hour into the party and he was getting exhausted.

"I'm Keiko Fujiyama. I review Usami-sensei's books through a deal with Marukawa." Keiko bowed. "I'm told you're a literature professor? That must be a very rewarding job, teaching students to love literature."

Hiroki snorted and was about to launch into one of his rants about kids and how they don't appreciate literature, but Nowaki chose then to bring back his wine. "Here you are, Hiro-san."

"And this is?" Keiko was still all smiles.

Hiroki narrowed his eyes a bit before downing half the wine glass. "This is my partner, Nowaki Kusama," he said.

"Your partner? So he's a professor as well?"

"No. I work as a pediatrician at Mitsuhashi Hospital," Nowaki said, seeming to be unaware of the tension between Hiroki and Keiko.

There was an awkward silence, finally broken by Keiko saying, "Well, I should probably go say hello to Isaka-san. It was nice meeting you two."

"Yeah, yeah," Hiroki muttered before going back to drinking.

"Is something wrong, Hiro-san?"

"Nope."


	84. The Fourth Award Truth

The Fourth Award Truth

By the end of the night, Hiroki was actually quite happy to be there, aided mostly by the glasses of wine Nowaki periodically got him. Nowaki, for his part, was surprised but happy to find out the catering company covering the party was one he used to work for. So while Hiroki talked with Akihiko (pointedly ignoring poor Misaki, who'd gotten dragged along, as usual), Nowaki talked with a worker who'd been there back when he was.

"Ah, I was so mad when they fired you, Nowaki-kun," the woman said, holding an empty platter to her chest. She'd been refilling one of the buffet tables as she talked. "It's good to see you're doing well for yourself, though. I doubt you thought you'd actually be a guest at one of these parties, huh?"

"I guess not." Nowaki smiled, then glanced over to see Hiroki had finally extricated himself from the crowd of people around Akihiko and was walking their way. "Ah, Tsunade-san, this is Hiroki Kamijou. He brought me along, since he's friends with Usami-sensei."

Hiroki scowled. "Sometimes I wonder," he said, but he left it at that. Clearly Akihiko had said something to ruin Hiroki's good mood. "Who the hell are you?"

Nowaki frowned. "Hiro-san, this is Tsunade-san. She works for the catering company covering this party. I worked at the same one when I was younger."

Tsunade was just standing there, considering Hiroki. When she got the famous Demon Kamijou glare, she smiled and held up the platter in a defensive way. "Did you say his family name is Kamijou?" she asked. When Nowaki nodded, she continued with, "I thought I recognized him!"

"What?" Hiroki asked, folding his arms.

"Your party was why Nowaki-kun got fired! I remember it. Nine years ago, the son of some fancy, rich family was turning twenty. We catered the event, and at some point, poor Nowaki-kun ended up getting about three bowls of soup all over the son's clothes. We had to pay for the dry cleaning and Nowaki-kun got fired." She sighed and looked wistful, then seemed to realize something. "So what's the deal with you two now?"

"Hiro-san and I have been together seven years now," Nowaki said with a bright smile.

"I guess good things do come out of bad situations," Tsunade said. And then she bowed. "It was good seeing you again! Keep in touch, Nowaki-kun."

When Tsunade was gone, Nowaki just smiled vaguely and gave Hiroki another glass of wine.


	85. Risako's Second Truth

Risako's Second Truth

Risako headed towards her father's office in the liberal arts building of M University. They were supposed to have dinner together, as they did occasionally. When she got there, there was a sign saying he'd be back at six. It was 5:45, and Risako wasn't quite sure what to do with herself.

Well, until she saw the light on in what she recognized as Miyagi's office. He shared it with his assistant, whom Risako had met once or twice but didn't remember the name of, but she still took the chance and went over to see.

Miraculously, the door was propped open. When she looked in, though, she saw there was one person in there, and it wasn't Miyagi. It must've been his assistant. Risako's first impression (well, second or third, really) was that he was a serious-looking man. Miyagi had been as well, when he and Risako were married, but whenever Risako saw him these days, he looked a lot looser and more like he was enjoying life. Risako was almost offended that it took getting rid of her for him to finally find some semblance of happiness, but she had to admit their marriage hadn't been the best.

The man, Hiroki Kamijou as she acknowledged from the nameplates over the door, finally seemed to notice someone was staring intently at him. He scowled and took off his glasses as he stared right back.

"Um, is Yoh Miyagi here?" she asked.

Hiroki glanced over to the empty desk beside him before shaking his head. "No. He left as soon as he could. Probably furthering his death-by-cabbage approach to life." He was about to say more, but then he stopped, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "You're Professor Miyagi's ex-wife, aren't you?"

"I'm glad you remember me," Risako said with a smile.

Hiroki rolled his eyes. "How could I forget? I started here when you two were divorcing and he wouldn't stop bitching."

Risako frowned at that. "I'm sure it didn't give you a very good impression of me."

"No, it just makes him look like even more of an ass." Hiroki turned back to his work. "I'm sure you could catch him at his apartment if you really need to."

"Oh, no. I'm having dinner with my father, I just thought I'd drop in and say hi." The smile was back on Risako's face. "Would you like to come? I'm sure my father wouldn't mind."

Hiroki took one look at his stack of papers, then at his phone, lying on the one part of his desk that wasn't covered in clutter. "My boyfriend gets out of work in two hours, so no thank you."

Risako decided, as she headed back to her father's office with a red face, that her gaydar needed some tuning.


	86. Risako's Third Truth

Risako's Third Truth

For once in his life, Miyagi was working late. Shinobu was upset when he heard this, but earlier that day, Risako had called and asked if he wanted to go out to eat with her. He had no idea what had prompted his sister to suddenly take an interest in him after all these years. They had been close when they were young, to be sure; they were over ten years apart, but Risako had taught Shinobu a lot when he was younger, such as how to ride a bike without training wheels and some simple Kanji before he even learned it in school.

As the years went by however, Shinobu reflected as he waited outside T University's gate, Risako had drifted away from him, becoming interested in boys where Shinobu was never interested in anyone until he met Miyagi. And then she moved out when he was still fairly young and he was, for all intents and purposes, an only child.

"Waiting for that mysterious girlfriend of yours to pick you up, Takatsuki-san?" one of his classmates asked as he went through the gate himself.

Shinobu scowled and hiked his messenger bag back up onto his shoulder in an irritated way. "No, my sister is picking me up today."

"Aw, you got dumped?" The guy looked amused as he ducked Shinobu's messenger bag, which had been heading right for his head. "I'm just kidding. You spend so much time with that woman you might as well be married."

"Shinobu!"

Shinobu and his classmate looked over to see Risako was there on the sidewalk, waving at him. Her car was idling behind her. Without another word, Shinobu went and got into the passenger seat.

"So you… have someone now?" Risako asked. Shinobu just nodded. "Funny, whenever I hear about you or visit, it seems like you spend all your free time with Yoh. When would you have time for anyone else?"

"I don't," Shinobu said simply.

There was silence except for the rev of the engine as Risako started off. Finally, she looked over to him and said, "…what?"

Shinobu just side-eyed his sister like she was the stupidest person on the planet. Risako's response was to turn her eyes to the road and look quite alarmed indeed.

**I'll be heading back to college Tuesday so the next update probably won't be until then. Bad place to leave it, I know, but I have over forty yaoi manga and they aren't going to pack themselves!**


	87. Risako's Fourth Truth

Risako's Fourth Truth

Risako was silent the entire meal, which actually made Shinobu very happy. He wasn't a chatty person by nature despite what Miyagi might tell you about him, so he was able to eat in peace. Given, it was the awkward kind of peace that comes after your sister finds out you're gay and in a relationship with her ex-husband (a very specialized peace, to be sure, but not one exclusive to Risako).

As they were walking to Risako's car after the shortest fight over a check in the history of the world, she finally got up the courage to turn to her brother and say, "So you and Yoh?"

"You have a problem with it." It wasn't a question so much as a statement: Shinobu had been wanting to come out to his family ever since he and Miyagi got together, but he knew Miyagi was right to be afraid of just what their reactions would be. Not that Shinobu really cared; he was smart enough to get a scholarship for university if it came down to Miyagi or continued funding for his education.

"Shinobu." Risako sighed and closed her eyes. "Do you have any idea how bad this could be? He works for our father."

"I'm turning twenty in less than a year and _you_ were married to him, so why is that a problem?" Shinobu stared out his window as the lights of Tokyo went by in a blur. There was surprisingly little traffic for seven o'clock on a Friday night.

"You're both men!"

"And you're a woman who cheated on him rather than divorce him." They were finally to Shinobu's apartment building, and Shinobu opened his car door even before Risako had come to a full stop at the curb. Then he put his hand on the top of the car, leaned in and said, "Do whatever you want, but don't tell Mom and Dad. Okay? He could lose his job." Shinobu frowned and looked up at the window for his and Miyagi's apartment, which had a light on. Miyagi's work must've taken less time than he planned for.

Risako just nodded, and then she reached out and put a hand on Shinobu's cheek. "I just… wish I had been there for you more when you were growing up."

"Why?" The scowl was back on Shinobu's face, and Risako pulled her hand back in case he was in a biting mood.

"I might understand this situation a lot better." Risako sighed and waved him off. With that, Shinobu closed the door, and his sister drove off into the night.

**Ah, 24/7 wifi access, how I missed you. This, of course, means I may be back to updating more than once a day and weekend updates are a-go again :D Because what's college for if not procrastinating?**


	88. Miyagi's Fourth Truth

Miyagi's Fourth Truth

Saturday morning found Miyagi waking up and trudging into the kitchen, only to find Shinobu sitting at the table, staring at one of his text books. He seemed to be concentrating very hard, but Miyagi stood there for five minutes and Shinobu didn't actually move his eyes across the page once.

"Shinobu-chin, is something wrong?" Miyagi asked, casually draping his arms around Shinobu's shoulders and smiling. Miyagi didn't get to see Shinobu actually studying that much, and he found it cute how he'd sit there for hours sometimes with that little scrunch above his eye. It, in a way, reminded him of Hiroki when he was really into his work; of course, if he mentioned that, Shinobu would very likely kill him.

Shinobu scowled, and without warning, slammed closed his text book. "What's with the cutesy nickname, anyway? I'm not a little kid!"

Miyagi watched him with interest as he huffed and puffed and went about as far as the couch before flopping over and opening his text book again. "Well," Miyagi said, scratching his chin as if Shinobu had just asked him a deep, philosophical question. "I guess no matter how much you scowl at me I always think you're adorable." He grinned as Shinobu let loose that aforementioned scowl, and then Miyagi went to his kitchen to at least attempt to make breakfast. Shinobu wasn't moving to do it.

"My sister called while you were still asleep," Shinobu finally said. Miyagi turned around from the stove, as if he thought looking at Shinobu might tell him why this was relevant. "She said she's coming over later."

"How later?"

"Um, nine o'clock?" Shinobu didn't look like he cared.

Miyagi, however, took one glance at the clock and sighed. "Shinobu, it's 8:55. You couldn't have at least woken me up?"

"I tried. Five times. Each time you told me it was too early to be awake on your day off. You really are an old man, aren't you?"

Miyagi sighed and went back to setting up the rice cooker. He was going to leave that one alone.


	89. Risako's Fifth Truth

Risako's Fifth Truth

Risako had done as Shinobu advised and not told their parents about his relationship with Miyagi. She knew how to keep a secret, after all. Not that it had done her much good when, say, she was cheating on her former husband, but that was beside the point. As she stood outside the door, listening to Miyagi and Shinobu's voices inside, she couldn't help but just stand there.

On the other side of the door, Miyagi and Shinobu appeared to be in an argument. "Shinobu-chin, I can do it myself. I was cooking for myself long before you decided you needed to do it," Miyagi said, and he easily pushed Shinobu away from the burners.

"I told you I'd cook for you, and I still plan to," Shinobu said, ducking Miyagi's hand and taking charge of the vegetables simmering on the stove.

Miyagi didn't feel like keeping the fight going, so he just laughed and leaned against the counter. "I can just imagine you in a few years, Shinobu. Telling your boss at some big law firm that you can't stay late because you have to cook for your lover."

"And what's wrong with that?" Shinobu narrowed his eyes at Miyagi as he tossed the vegetables in the air. They hit the pan again with a sizzle that made Miyagi flinch.

"So uh, you said Risako was supposed to be here at nine, right?" he said instead, looking at the clock nearby. It was close to 9:30. Risako was usually very punctual, actually, so he was starting to wonder where she was.

"Maybe she finally decided to stop meddling in my life and go have one of her own," Shinobu muttered as he turned off the burner and went to get the rice.

Miyagi furrowed his eyebrows. "She's still your sister, Shinobu. You should be nicer to her."

"I wouldn't think you, of all people, would be saying that."

Miyagi sighed and shook his head, not aware that Risako was still standing there, right outside the door. She almost went to knock on it, but she thought better. As she walked down the hall towards the elevator, she sent Shinobu a text saying she couldn't make it.


	90. The Truth About Cold Hands

The Truth About Cold Hands

Misaki found himself reflecting often on the fact that Usagi had cold hands. It used to bother him, but when he was sick, right before he moved in with Usagi, the cold hand on his feverish forehead felt nice. From then on, Usagi's low body temperature was a kind of comfort to him, even if he wouldn't admit it.

"You know," Manami said one day when she and Misaki were out together. It wasn't something they usually did, but it was the weekend, and both Takahiro and Usagi were working on their own things, so Manami had suggested they go shopping together. "My mother loved to tell me that cold hands means a warm heart."

"Why would you say that?" Misaki asked, trying to hide a scowl at the thought. Usagi could be described in a lot of ways, but having a warm heart didn't jump immediately to Misaki's mind.

Manami smiled as she took a hat from a display and tried it on. Misaki, for his part, was trying not to be freaked out by the cold stares of the mannequins around him. Department stores weren't something he was used to. "I'm not sure. And it certainly doesn't mean warm hands, cold heart. Your brother is always so cozy." She smiled at that, even though Misaki looked uncomfortable. "It just came to mind, because Takahiro told me once how Usami-san's hands were always freezing."

"They still are," Misaki said before he could realize the implications of his knowing this.

Manami just stared at him from under the wide brim of the sunhat, before putting it back, smiling kindly and asking if he wanted to get lunch.

**Hah, "cold hands, warm heart" is actually something my mother has told me, because my fingers (and toes) are perpetually freezing. I guess to comfort me :P**


	91. The Truth Over The Phone

The Truth Over The Phone

Hiroki was home alone one evening when a student called to ask about an assignment. It wasn't like Hiroki had been doing anything in particular; he and Nowaki were supposed to go out for dinner once Nowaki got home, so he'd just been reading to try to distract himself. Of course, for Hiroki, reading was serious business. So he did answer his student's questions, but he did so in a rather snippy voice that was kind of lost on said student.

"Is there anything else?" Hiroki asked just as the front door opened. He glanced over to see Nowaki slipping off his shoes. And then he ignored his student's response and said to Nowaki, "Clean Eri-chan's cage before we go out to dinner. You wanted a guinea pig, you take care of her."

"Yes, Hiro-san," Nowaki said agreeably. He kissed Hiroki on the top of his head before going to get the cleaning supplies.

"Professor? Who was that?" Hiroki's student asked, proving to him that his male students had about as much of a survival instinct as his female students.

"My personal life is none of your damn business," Hiroki muttered. "Are we done here?"

"Yes, professor." But Hiroki could tell he was laughing. And so was Nowaki, but with a lot more tact.

Hiroki vowed that both of them would get a book to the head at earliest convenience.

**Was in a bit of a fluffy mood today, so two drabbles of no real significance, hurrah!**


	92. The Cousin's Second Truth

The Cousin's Second Truth

After the birthday party, Hiroki's cousin Chiko started bugging him about spending time together. Apparently they hadn't done much together since high school. Given that Hiroki's mother had said something similar, Nowaki was beginning to sense a theme.

Eventually, though, Chiko invited the two over to her house for lunch on a Sunday, and Nowaki convinced Hiroki to go, even though it was the first full day off they had together in three weeks.

While the food was cooking, Chiko and Nowaki chatted amiably while Chiko's husband and Hiroki shared awkward small talk in the living room. Hiroki hadn't been to Chiko's wedding, and Chiko's husband hadn't been at the birthday party, so this was the first time they were meeting. Between short answers about his job and the like, Hiroki kept stealing glances at Nowaki and Chiko.

"Ugh, I thought one kid was hard, try raising a five-year-old and a two-year-old at the same time. One demands attention and one just screams until you notice him," Chiko said, but she had a light tone, so it couldn't have been all bad.

"I've had similar experiences at the hospital," Nowaki said. "A lot of the really young kids who are healthy enough to go into the playroom can get pretty clingy."

"And they're little parrots! Say something even once and they'll repeat it." Chiko eyed her son, who was following Kimi around like Kimi was a mother duck and he was her duckling. "I was shopping the other day, just going along the aisles at the supermarket, when Daisuke just out of nowhere shouted… well, you know, the g-d word." She seemed reluctant to repeat it with her son right there.

Nowaki suddenly glanced at Hiroki, who had been watching them. Chiko did too, making Hiroki fold his arms. "Well don't look at me. I didn't swear around the brat the whole weekend."

"Brat!" Daisuke said, and he hit Hiroki's knee with the plastic shovel he'd been carrying.

Hiroki did his best to contain himself, but he still glared at Daisuke and Kimi's retreating backs with the intensity of a thousand hateful suns. Then he turned to Chiko. "And Nowaki wonders why I don't want kids."

**I went back to that prompt website I used for earlier ones and it told me to fictionalize an event that happened to a sibling or relative. The other day my sister-in-law told me how my nephew just up and shouted "God dammit!" in the middle of the grocery store. Lesson: be careful what you say around two-year-olds.**


	93. The Truth With The Lights Out

The Truth With The Lights Out

It was just Hiroki's luck that they'd have a district-wide power outage while he was having a class. It wasn't like it was unexpected, though; it'd been storming fiercely since a little after he got to the university.

However, that was one of the only days that he had a slideshow presentation rather than just lecturing or writing on the board, so the minute the power went out, a scowl went straight onto his face- not that the students were aware, because the shades had been drawn so the room was pitch-black.

Students were starting to scream hysterically. When Hiroki reflected on it, it was probably equal parts being afraid of the dark and being afraid of what Kamijou the Devil was capable of doing to them in the dark. Thankfully for him, Nowaki had watched the weather before they both left for work that morning and insisted he bring a flashlight for just such an occasion. So, he flicked it on and ran it over the classroom. They all went oddly silent.

"Calm down, all of you," Hiroki said, doing his best to sound patient. "There's not much we can do until the lights come back on, but I'd suggest you stay in here for your own safety." He could've sworn he heard someone muttering about how no one was safe with the devil, but he decided to ignore it. Especially since his phone went off in his bag. Of all the days for him to forget to put it on silent before class.

As soon as he'd carefully made his way around his desk and accepted his call, he didn't even need to put it to his ear to hear Nowaki shout, "Hiro-san, are you okay?"

Hiroki scowled at his phone before putting it to his ear. "Nowaki, I'm in class right now, what the hell?"

"...but you're answering your phone, Hiro-san," Nowaki pointed out. Hiroki scowled into the darkness. "Did the power also go out at the university?"

"Yeah," Hiroki muttered, shifting his eyes over to his students even though he couldn't really see their faces. "If it doesn't go back on soon they'll probably cancel classes for the day."

"Please be careful going home, then, Hiro-san!" Nowaki said. "We have generators at the hospital so I'll be fine."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll see you at home," he said. Just before he ended the call he heard "I love you, Hiro-san" but he didn't give it the dignity of a response. Then he ran his flashlight over the lecture hall to see every single student was watching him with interest. "What?"


	94. The Truth About College

The Truth About College

It started when Hiroki was just minding his own business on the train. He had been dragged out for drinks by Miyagi when he was stupid enough to mention that Nowaki had a night shift at the hospital, but he managed to get away with only having one after Miyagi was completely trashed. He cringed at the thought, but had ended up calling Shinobu, who was there in five minutes with a glare on his face.

How he had gotten there in five minutes was a mystery to Hiroki, and one that was likely to bug him in the morning when he was completely sober again.

Given how late it was, there weren't a lot of people around, and Hiroki managed to sit on one of the benches for a whole five minutes before he noticed a couple on the other end of the car. They didn't necessarily _look_ like a couple, Hiroki reflected, but the two men were muttering to each other the whole time, and the one with light-brown hair was blushing. The blushing man frowned and turned away from the other one, and his and Hiroki's eyes locked. The man seemed startled. Hiroki ducked his head and decided to ignore it.

He could not, however, ignore the conversation.

"What's with you?" the other man asked, glancing at Hiroki with a strange look in his eyes.

"Nothing! I just thought I recognized him."

"Really."

"Yes." The light-haired man frowned. "When I came back to Japan for college, there was... a senior, who I always saw in the library. He had the fiercest scowl I've ever seen if someone was loud or interrupted his reading. We did talk once, though."

There was silence, until the other man said, "Onodera. Are you _trying _to make me jealous?"

"Stupid Takano-san," Onodera muttered, and he slid down the bench a little like Takano had some kind of contagious disease.

Hiroki decided it was best to just leave them alone.

**I was talking with LordOfTheMarshland on Twitter, as I often do, and as soon as the idea of Hiroki and Ritsu going to college together, albeit a few years apart, came up, it sent me into fits of giggles XD I am truly horrible, but oh well.**


	95. The Truth On The Subway

The Truth On The Subway

Hiroki encountered the pair again on the subway a few days later, but Nowaki was with him that time. Hiroki had done something somewhat out of character and picked up Nowaki at the hospital at the end of his evening shift. Because it was still the evening, though, the subway was fairly crowded.

Whenever Hiroki looked to his right side, Nowaki smiled at him as he held the handle above him. When he looked to his left, though, he saw Onodera, with Takano on his other side. When Hiroki and Onodera finally locked eyes, Hiroki said, "I saw you the other day."

"Oh, yes!" Onodera said, and he bowed despite the look Takano was giving him. "I think we went to college together. My name is Ritsu Onodera."

"Hiroki Kamijou." Hiroki narrowed his eyes and looked away from Ritsu. "I remember you. I'd see you hiding behind the shelves in the library."

"I'm sensing a pattern," Takano said, keeping his eyes trained on the window as the subway tunnel went rushing by. Ritsu looked incredibly indignant, and Takano went on with, "You stalked me around our school library for three years. At least Kamijou only got one."

"He had a boyfriend at the time," Ritsu said, ducking his head like he was embarrassed just thinking about it.

Hiroki and Takano stared at each other for a while, Takano looking challenging and Hiroki just looking bored. But then the train slowly came to a stop, and Nowaki finally piped up. "Hiro-san, this is our stop." He bowed to Ritsu and Takano. "It was nice seeing you again, Onodera-san."

Once Hiroki and Nowaki were off the train, Takano glanced at Ritsu. "Again?"

Ritsu sighed. "It's a long story."


	96. The Past College Truth

The Past College Truth

Ritsu Onodera had become jaded, even he admitted it. But every day, when he went into the library at his college, he'd see an older student sitting there, surrounded by books. He was always either reading them or taking notes on his laptop, occasionally drinking from a cup of coffee. The man was unapproachable, though. Whenever someone got near him, or when someone made the mistake of making noise, they'd get a deadly glare.

One day, though, at the end of the semester when everyone was studying for finals and getting portfolios or cumulative essays done, the man's table was the only one free. Being chronically unapproachable had its advantages, Ritsu supposed.

"Um, excuse me, would you mind if I sat here?" Ritsu asked. The man looked up, ready to give the glare that had become famous among patrons of T University's library, but then he saw the stack of books in Ritsu's arms. His face softened for about a millisecond before he shrugged and went back to his laptop. "Thanks."

Ritsu was not looking for love, not after the huge failure in high school, but he still found himself glancing over the top of his book, fascinated by all the expressions the man made as he read or typed away. "Are you working on your thesis, then?"

The man muttered something about a typhoon always interrupting him when he tried to work at home. Ritsu was confused by that. Were the forces of nature themselves against this man?

"Hiro-san!" Ritsu looked up and Hiroki turned around, eye twitching, to see a tall man approaching them, a wide smile on his face. Ritsu was somewhat alarmed.

"Nowaki, I told you I have work to do," Hiroki muttered. He was about to start tapping away on his laptop again, when there was a beep. Even Ritsu could tell it had gone dead.

The man, Nowaki, smiled and held something up. "You forgot your power chord at your apartment, Hiro-san."

Ritsu quickly got up and ran for it as "Hiro-san" took his anger out on Nowaki, strangling him with all he had. It was, he decided as he slipped into a personal study room just being abandoned, further proof that his taste in men sucked.


	97. Misaki's Fifth Truth

Misaki's Fifth Truth

Misaki found Usagi one Saturday morning looking through a large, thick photo album. Misaki had noticed the thing on one of Usagi's shelves when he was in his office cleaning, but he'd never taken it down, not wanting to intrude.

"Usagi-san?" Misaki asked, putting the ribbon he'd planned to exchange on Suzuki-san onto Usagi's desk and kneeling down. "What are you looking at?" When he turned, Usagi had his glasses on, but he could still tell he looked upset about something. "Usagi-san?"

"Ah, nothing," Usagi quickly shut the photo album before Misaki could get a good look at the pictures for himself. "I was just looking at pictures from when I was a kid."

Curious, Misaki picked up the album when Usagi went back to his desk to work. There were quite a lot of pictures of Usagi himself, his father, and sometimes Haruhiko. As Misaki went through page after page, though, with Usagi growing a little bit throughout, he noticed something. "Usagi-san, how come there aren't any pictures of your mother in here?"

Usagi stopped typing at that, and Misaki almost immediately realized that wasn't exactly the thing to say. Still, Usagi answered. "My mother wasn't around much, especially after my father brought Haruhiko to live with us. I don't think she could take it anymore."

Before Misaki could decide it was a bad idea, he dropped the photo album, went over to Usagi, and wrapped his arms around him in a hug. "She missed getting to know a really amazing person, then."

Usagi smiled, though Misaki didn't see because he had his head buried in Usagi's shoulder. "Is that an invitation, Misaki?"

Misaki jumped away from Usagi. "Stupid Usagi, I still have chores to do!"

"Later." And Usagi took Misaki by the wrist and led him out of the office.

**For freakylemurcat, who got the four-hundredth review and a therefore a special request :D Hope you enjoyed it!**


	98. The Truth About Babysitting

The Truth About Babysitting

Hiroki was rather confused when he saw Mai Sato exiting their apartment when he got home from work, dressed to go out and with a distinct lack of the baby girl she always carried around with her. She simply smiled at him and headed for the elevator, only slightly off-balance in her spike heels. His eyes followed her until she got into the elevator and the doors closed in front of her.

"I'm home, Nowaki," Hiroki called, knowing Nowaki would be home. He wasn't scheduled to work that day, and they'd been calling him in less and less as the end of his internship approached.

Nowaki didn't reply, but Hiroki did hear a strange round of noises. After slipping off his shoes, he tossed his bag onto the couch and finally found Nowaki.

He was sitting at the kitchen table with a bundle that Hiroki normally saw in Mai's arms.

Hiroki stood there for a whole thirty seconds before he said, "Nowaki. Why do you have Sato-san's baby?"

"Oh, hello, Hiro-san!" Nowaki said, smiling and standing up. "Sato-san had a date tonight, and her usual babysitter is sick with the flu, so I agreed to watch Michi-chan." The baby seemed absolutely thrilled to be where she was, and she even reached a hand up. Nowaki promptly held his pointer finger to her so she could grab it. "She's really very good, Hiro-san. You won't even notice she's here."

Hiroki scowled and picked his bag back up. "Yeah, and you won't even notice I'm here. I've got work to do." As he made his way to his office, he glanced at Eri-chan's cage. "Don't give me that look."

**Upon YaoiLover17's suggestion, Nowaki and Hiroki babysitting. Good times.**


	99. Hiroki's Fifth Truth

Hiroki's Fifth Truth

It was around eleven that Hiroki looked up from grading papers to see Nowaki standing in the doorway, a frown on his face. "What's the matter with you?"

"The hospital just called. There was a huge accident so they need me to come in…" He looked down the hall to the portable crib he'd laid Michi to sleep in hours ago. "She's already asleep, so she shouldn't be much trouble."

"…when is Sato-san supposed to get home?" Hiroki asked, but he had a feeling he knew the answer to that.

"I don't know, but she told me she doesn't work tomorrow," was Nowaki's answer. Yep, that was about what Hiroki had expected. Mai was in her early twenties, and Hiroki remembered that time well. It almost felt nostalgic, until he realized the implications of Nowaki being called-in to the hospital.

At that point, though, Nowaki had taken whatever Hiroki's response was as a yes and was slipping his shoes on. He'd already prepared what he needed before going in to talk to him, the clever bastard.

Not five seconds after Nowaki left the apartment, their landline rang. It set Michi off, and Hiroki frowned. Anyone he knew who'd call him on his landline would probably be rather suspicious about a crying baby in the background. He sighed and went to pick up Michi, letting the answering machine get the call.

"Uh, hello." The voice was unfamiliar, and Hiroki frowned as he put Michi over his shoulder and patted her on the back. "My name is Akira Yamada. Um, I was out with Mai-chan tonight. We got caught in an accident. Mai-chan got hurt a little so she's being treated and told me to call her babysitter to let them know. We're at Mitsuhashi Hospital. I guess that's all. Goodbye."

Michi had been reduced to sniffling and a bad case of the hiccups. At that point, Hiroki really only had one thing on his mind: calling a taxi.


	100. The Sato Family's Truth

The Sato Family's Truth

Hiroki was scowling as soon as he got into the hospital. As was to be expected of a hospital accepting victims of an accident, it was busy. Family members overcrowded the waiting rooms, doctors ran around like it was the end of the world, and constant messages blared over the PA system. As Hiroki alternately tried to keep Michi calm and look for a reception desk, he heard, "Dr. Kusama to the ER, please, Dr. Kusama to the ER."

Michi was not pleased with her surroundings, and Hiroki couldn't help but share her sentiments. He was allowed to go see Mai, though, when he said she wanted to see her daughter. It was a white lie at worst.

When he got to the room he'd been told about, he saw it was already full. Mai was lying on the bed, her leg in a cast but not much the worse for wear. Other than the man sitting at the end of the bed whom Hiroki guessed was Akira, it seemed the occupants were her family.

"Kamijou-san!" Mai said when she spotted him. Every single person turned to look at Hiroki. He suddenly felt self-conscious, standing there in the doorway of a room full of strangers with a baby in his arms. "And you brought Michi-chan. Is Kusama-san with you?"

"He got called-in. He should be around here somewhere, actually." Hiroki let his eyes drift down the hall, as if Nowaki would suddenly pop out of thin air. When he didn't, Hiroki resigned himself to saying, "How are you?"

Mai grinned and flexed her arms. "A lot better now that I'm pumped full of pain meds. My poor shoes, though." She sulked, and Hiroki guessed that those uncomfortable-looking shoes from earlier had gotten damaged in the crash.

An older woman took Michi from Hiroki, but all the chairs were occupied, so Hiroki was left to stand there awkwardly. Suddenly, Akira stood. "Kamijou-san, you can sit if you want!" There seemed to be the implication that because Hiroki was older than Akira, he needed the seat more.

"It's fine," Hiroki said, trying to keep his voice even. "I've been sitting all evening. I could stand to… stand."

Mai giggled slightly at the pun, but then she seemed to realize that her family was giving Hiroki strange looks. "Guys, this is my neighbor, Hiroki Kamijou. He was babysitting for me tonight."

Hiroki bowed slightly, not missing the interested look from the woman holding Michi. "Where do you keep getting these handsome men, Mai-chan?"

"Mama, not in front of Akira," Mai said, giggling. "Besides, you know that old saying, all the good men are gay, taken or both."

The collective interest directed at him at that made Hiroki feel even more awkward. "Unless there's something I can do for you, I need to get home. I have classes in the morning." He had managed to put a scowl on his face, which deterred Mai's family from any questioning.

Mai smiled, doing her best to sit up in her bed. "Thanks so much for watching Michi-chan and bringing her here, Kamijou-san. Even though it was Kusama-san who agreed to it at first."

Hiroki just nodded and waved behind himself as he headed out. As he got to the door, he realized he'd vaguely been hoping to run into Nowaki, but then he realized it wasn't likely. There was a reason he'd been called-in, after all.

Despite the fact that he'd be going home to an empty bed, he couldn't help but smile. Nowaki just kind of had that effect on him, not that he'd admit it.

**And we have one hundred drabbles XD This one is slightly longer than usual, and I was so excited to get it out that I ended up writing it during Child and Adolescent Development /is horrible. But here it is! Here's hoping for a hundred more.**


	101. Usagi's Third Truth

Usagi's Third Truth

Usagi would never get over how Misaki looked when he had his guard completely down. It almost never happened with him even during sex; it was mostly when he was asleep, and sometimes carrying about his daily chores. This time Misaki was asleep, snoring away with a book for his literature class open on his face.

At first, Usagi wasn't sure what he should do. He did have work, after all; he always had work. Between two publishing houses and articles or serial stories for various magazines, Usagi wasn't sure why he had the time for anything else. Misaki had been laying horizontal on the couch, though, and he rolled over, letting the book slip from his face and fall onto the floor, closing.

Usagi sighed. "Oh, Misaki. You don't even try, do you?" He ran a hand through Misaki's hair, which was getting longer and longer with his refusal to let Usagi pay for a haircut for him. In his less sensitive moments, he thought of it as just another thing to hold on to on his younger lover as they made love.

It was a bit awkward, laying down for a nap in a three piece suit, Usagi realized as he slipped in behind Misaki. It was worth it, though. In his sleep, Misaki actually curled into him, looking content.

**I just had an impulse to write some Romantica fluff. I don't even know.**


	102. The Truth of the Lost Letter

The Truth of the Lost Letter

Nowaki found Hiroki in their bedroom when he got home from his shift at the hospital. Hiroki was sitting at the edge of their bed, blushing furiously as he stared down at something in his hands.

"Hiro-san? What's wrong?" Nowaki asked, walking up beside his boyfriend and trying to get a look at what he had in his hands. Then he looked over, and he recognized the bag that was sitting at Hiroki's feet. A fierce blush came over his face. "Hiro-san! I thought I asked you to get rid of those letters!"

"I told you I wasn't going to!" Hiroki said, scrunching the letter he'd been reading to his chest. It seemed he was particularly embarrassed about this one. When Nowaki picked up the envelope and tried to determine what day it was from, he found it snatched out of his hand. "Don't you need to shower?"

Nowaki sighed in defeat and nodded. "Yes, Hiro-san." And then he kissed Hiroki's forehead and went to do just that.

The letter Hiroki had was dated February 13th. It was especially mushy even for Nowaki, and contained mostly what he would love do with Hiroki if they were together for Valentine's Day. It involved a lot of chocolate, a date at a fancy restaurant, and Nowaki's usual crudeness when it came to sex. Still, as Hiroki carefully placed it back in its envelope and put the bag on its high perch in their closet, Hiroki wasn't entirely scowling.

"Hiro-san, have you washed yet?" Nowaki called from the bathroom.

"Not yet."

"Would you like to bathe together?"

"…sure."


	103. The New Neighbor's Truth

The New Neighbor's Truth

Hiroki had noticed moving boxes when he was coming home, but the thought had pretty much left him when Nowaki pounced him as soon as the door closed.

Two hours and one incredible ravishing later, Hiroki heard the movers still milling around, and he had to wonder just how much stuff his new neighbors had. He left Nowaki to making dinner and went out into the hall, not even bothering to put his shoes back on.

There was a woman out in the hall. She didn't look incredibly young, but she wasn't an elder, either. Hiroki just leaned against the wall and watched as the movers finally put the last box in the apartment and a man's voice could be heard thanking them.

"Oh, hello!" The woman finally noticed Hiroki lurking there. She signaled for her husband to come out in the hall. "My name is Kasumi Sakei, and this is my husband Eiji. We just moved here." Her husband grunted and went back in. Hiroki could hear a lot of shifting, so it seemed that he found unpacking more interesting.

"My name is Hiroki Kamijou." Hiroki bowed.

The woman glanced at the apartment. "It's good to meet you. I wanted to go over but… you and your girlfriend seem to be… active."

Hiroki froze at that. He hadn't even thought of the possibility that someone would hear him and Nowaki, even though they had never left the entryway. Just when he thought he couldn't feel any more awkward, the door opened and Nowaki stepped out. "Hiro-san," he said. "Dinner is ready." Then he saw Kasumi, and he bowed. "Hello."

Hiroki glanced between Kasumi, who seemed confused, and Nowaki, who just smiled amicably through the whole thing. And then he went inside the apartment, because he was hungry and explaining himself to this stranger did not take precedence over that.


	104. The New Neighbor's Second Truth

The New Neighbor's Second Truth

Hiroki didn't even pay attention to the fact that Nowaki didn't come back inside until he was done eating, at which point he started to wonder if he'd gotten distracted by Kasumi. Nowaki did tend to do that when meeting new people- get so engrossed in talking with them and getting to know them that he forgot about other things. Hiroki didn't understand it, but then, he didn't like most people, not just ones he didn't know.

When he got out into the hall, Mai Sato was just coming off the elevator with Michi in her arms. Hiroki nodded to her before going to the open door of his new neighbor's apartment. Curious since she was aware that apartment had been empty, Mai followed Hiroki over.

"It's really nothing," Nowaki was saying, smiling at Eiji as he helped put together a bookcase. "Hiro-san has so many bookcases, I've kind of gotten used to this."

"We might not even have these if Kasumi would get rid of half the crap she accumulates over the years," Eiji muttered.

Kasumi walked up behind Eiji and hit him on the head with the spatula she'd been using. "I read every single one of those at least once a year."

Eiji looked like he was dying to say something, but one look from Kasumi made him fall silent. He and Nowaki got the last shelf into the structure at last, and Nowaki turned around. "Hiro-san! Oh, and good evening, Sato-san."

Kasumi brightened when she saw Mai, and she walked over. "Hello! It's so good to meet you. I'm Kasumi Seita, and this is my husband, Eiji."

"I'm Mai Sato, and this is my daughter Michi," Mai said with a smile.

"How cute," Kasumi said, smiling down at Michi. "Is your husband around?"

Mai giggled, clutching Michi just a little tighter. "I'm, um, not married actually. College was just a crazy time for me. Isn't that right, Michi-chan?" She tickled Michi's belly, and the baby giggled.

Hiroki had to admit he took a guilty pleasure at Kasumi's shocked face as she realized that she had a homosexual couple on one side and an unwed mother on the other. Clearly, this was not what she signed up for when she signed the apartment lease.


	105. The Other New Neighbor's Truth

The Other New Neighbor's Truth

"Looks like someone is finally moving into your old apartment, Shinobu," Miyagi pointed out as they stood watching the movers bring in boxes. All Shinobu could do was scowl and hike his bag further up on his shoulders. He didn't really care about neighbors. If he had his way, he and Miyagi would have a house together rather than an apartment. He said none of this, though, instead opting for going into the apartment and slamming the door.

Miyagi was about to do the same when he saw a group of boxes wiggle and start to tumble. He got over in time to stop it and spot the girl who'd been trying to take a box out near the bottom of the pile. She was probably about Shinobu's age and looked so determined to get that box. "You might want to take care of these ones first," Miyagi said with a smile when the girl looked up at him.

"I'm sorry!" she practically yelled, and before Miyagi could say anymore, or introduce himself as her new neighbor, she ran into her apartment.

Miyagi just stood there looking confused, until he heard the door to his apartment open, and Shinobu peeked out. "Are you coming in or not?" he asked, sounding irritated. He scowled when Miyagi smiled and patted his head on the way through, but then he glanced at all the boxes, and the girl hesitantly leaving her apartment now that Miyagi wasn't out there.

"Stupid Miyagi, being friendly to everyone," Shinobu muttered, closing the door.


	106. The Other New Neighbor's Second Truth

The Other New Neighbor's Second Truth

Two hours later, Shinobu found himself outside the apartment of their new neighbor with a scowl on his face. There'd been leftovers of the stew he made (cabbage free, but Miyagi had to fight hard for that one) and Miyagi had insisted he bring it over. Something about how she was just moving in and probably didn't have the time or energy to cook for herself with all the unpacking she'd have to do.

When the door opened, he didn't even bother to take the scowl off his face, even when he saw how terrified the girl was. "Here," he said, holding the Tupperware container of soup out to her. She'd been about to close the door, looking panicked, but at that she just stared down at it. "Well? Aren't you hungry?"

"Yes, thank you!" The girl quickly took the container and stared down at it. "You… live next door, right? With that man?"

"Yeah." Shinobu had his arms folded at that point. He wanted to just go back to the apartment, but he knew Miyagi would suspect him of just hiding the soup somewhere so he didn't have to interact with their neighbor. When the girl just stared at him, his frown deepened. "What?"

"Nothing!" She jumped back like the floor she'd just been on had suddenly been electrocuted. "But, I'm Yoshiko Ito. It's good to meet you, and I hope we can get along." She bowed deeply.

"I guess." Shinobu sighed. "Miyagi told me to tell you if you need help with anything you can ask us. But I doubt we'd be around."

Yoshiko seemed confused, but she nodded. "Yes, thank you. And thank you for the soup." Then she took a deep breath, gathering up her courage, and said, "I do have a question! Are… you and that man related? Since you're living together and all."

Shinobu's eyes narrowed. "No. Goodnight."

Right before Shinobu turned around, he could've sworn he saw Yoshiko's eyes light up. He didn't necessarily care, though.


	107. Misaki's Sixth Truth

Misaki's Sixth Truth

The closer it got to summer, the harder it was for Misaki to go out of the apartment. Usagi wasn't one to save money at the expense of being uncomfortable, so fans and air conditioners were constantly running. However, just stepping out onto the balcony was like going out into a sauna. As long as it wasn't raining, though, Misaki preferred to hang the clothes out rather than putting them in the dryer.

"What's the matter with you?" Usagi asked, looking up as Misaki walked back in with the empty laundry basket. Misaki had been dragging his feet and looking like he wouldn't be able to stand up straight much longer.

"It's so hot out there. Sometimes I wish I didn't live in the city, where everything and everyone is so crowded together." He wiped a trail of sweat off his forehead and headed over to put the laundry basket away.

Usagi considered him as he walked down the hall before saying, "You could always wear less clothes."

Misaki had been wearing a t-shirt and cargo pants. He hadn't even thought about that, but as soon as Usagi said it, he scoffed. "You'd probably get perverted thoughts in your mind."

"What's wrong with that?"

Misaki scowled and didn't answer.


	108. The Truth About Checking Your Pockets

The Truth About Checking Your Pockets

Hiroki shook his head as he watched his class go. It was only the first one of the day; he had three others to teach until he could pack up and go home, and he was already tired. He didn't have his next class for another two hours, though, so at least he could go back to his office and get some work done before having to deal with his students again.

Unless, of course, one of them remembered he was supposed to have office hours and went in to ask a question. They had been getting braver lately, and Hiroki wasn't sure why. Of course it _was_ his job to answer their questions, but that fact kind of just pissed him off more.

Hiroki was about to leave the room when one of those braver students approached. At least the girl had the book they were covering right then, and even had it open to a specific page. Hiroki hoped that this wouldn't last long.

Suddenly, though, he remembered he had put a piece of chalk in his pocket. Deciding it would be better to just put it back, he took it out and headed over to the board.

"Professor, something fell out of your pocket!" the girl who'd come up to ask a question said. Hiroki turned around, annoyed, only to see she was holding a condom. She was just staring at it like she was shocked it even existed.

Hiroki knew he shouldn't have put that in his pocket when he found it on the floor that morning. But he hadn't the concentration to find the box and put it away safely.

"Give me that!" Hiroki said. He snatched it away from her and stomped out of the room before she could ask her question.


	109. Hiroki's Sixth Truth

Hiroki's Sixth Truth

Hiroki was alone in his and Miyagi's office when there came a knock at the door. Expecting it to be a student, his eye started twitching but he told the person to come in. As soon as he saw it was the dean of literature, however, he sat up ramrod straight in his seat. "Dean Takatsuki, good afternoon!" he said. "If you're looking for Professor Miyagi, he's out to lunch right now."

"I wanted to speak with you, actually," Dean Takatsuki said, looking a bit tired.

"Oh?"

"Well, I tried with Miyagi first but he told me it wasn't his place." He sat down at Miyagi's desk and considered his words. "We're friends, aren't we Kamijou?"

Friends wasn't exactly how he would put his relationship with the dean of literature, but it certainly wasn't a bad one. He'd been out for drinks with the man more than once, though always accompanied by a good portion of the literature department. "…I suppose."

"Well, you know my son Shinobu. I've been trying and trying to speak to him but he won't listen to me. It's like he's embarrassed to have the sex talk with his own father."

Hiroki looked frankly alarmed at where this conversation was going. "What does that have to do with me, sir?"

"I don't know, since you're closer to his age, I thought he might listen to you." Dean Takatsuki sighed, completely missing the absolutely shocked look on Hiroki's face.

Then, imitating his superior, Hiroki said, "I don't think it's my place to talk to him about those kinds of things, sir."

Just then, the door opened and Miyagi ambled in, looking quite pleased with himself. When he saw the dean sitting at his desk, he rose an eyebrow and said, "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing," Hiroki answered, pulling off his glasses and standing up. "I'm taking my lunch break."


	110. Risako's Sixth Truth

Risako's Sixth Truth

Risako felt incredibly uncomfortable as she knocked on the door of Shinobu and Miyagi's apartment. She had somehow been coaxed by her father into going over and talking Shinobu into speaking with him, since no one else would, apparently, do it. She kept knocking and knocking, though, and still no answer. She might've just gone in if she hadn't given Miyagi back the key she used to have for the apartment.

As it was, she continued to stand there in the hope that they were just ignoring her.

"Um, Miyagi-san and Takatsuki-san aren't home right now," came a voice. Risako turned to see a girl standing there, not much older than Shinobu and looking extremely apprehensive. "If it's an emergency you could probably call one of them."

Risako just shook her head and leaned against the door. She had turned from hoping that they were just ignoring her to hoping she could tell her father they hadn't been home without him saying that she could try again later. "You're their neighbor?"

"Yes." The girl smiled. "Yoshiko Ito. And who are you?"

Risako narrowed her eyes. "Shinobu's older sister." She didn't feel like giving her name.

"Then- you know about them?" Yoshiko smiled like she'd just hit a goldmine. "Like, how long they've been together and things like that?"

"…what? No. Why would I care?" She did, in truth, but asking about Miyagi and Shinobu's relationship hadn't been something she thought possible. She was also Miyagi's ex-wife after all, and she was afraid it would make her seem nosey or jealous.

"Because it's cute!" Yoshiko said, her smile scaring RIsako in ways she wasn't aware were possible. The only other time she'd seen that look on someone's face were the young girls she worked with as they poured over the latest Yayoi Akikawa novel.

That was it, Risako decided as she bowed goodbye. This girl was a yaoi fangirl. And she was living right next to a gay couple. Risako, frankly, felt sorry for them.


	111. The First Fangirl Truth

The First Fangirl Truth

It was one in the morning when Yoshiko Ito heard an unfamiliar voice leave the elevator on her floor. She'd been so wrapped up in her homework that she didn't even pay attention to it at first, until she heard Miyagi's voice.

"Kamijou, why are you so mean?" He was quite obviously drunk, which Yoshiko could understand. It was Friday night, after all. What she didn't understand was who this person he was with actually was.

"You're lucky I didn't just leave your ass at the bar, professor."

Yoshiko perked up at that. So Miyagi was a professor? And perhaps the man with him was a coworker. Ignoring the review sheet she was supposed to be studying, she slowly crept over to the door and pressed her ear to it.

"You wouldn't do thaaaaat. That giant boyfriend of yours wouldn't like it." There was a pause before he changed his voice, albeit very badly. "Hiro-san, you're always so cruel. You should treat your superiors with respect."

"Nowaki hates your guts as much as I do, he's just subtler about it." Another pause before, "And I'll let you take it from here. The cab is still waiting."

"Thank you, Kamijou-honey!"

"Get the hell off me you pervert."

Yoshiko wasn't quite sure why she picked that particular time to burst out of her apartment, but she caught Miyagi and the man he was talking to in a struggle, Miyagi smiling drunkenly and the man, Kamijou, just looking irritated. When Miyagi saw who it was, he quickly scrambled away from the other man and bowed. "Good evening, Ito-san. I'm sorry if we woke you."

Her entire face turned red, and she quickly scrambled back into her apartment. At that point, though, there was no way she could get back to her studying, and so she flipped the overhead light on and started searching for the box that her Yayoi Akikawa novels were still packed away in.

**Just because people seemed to want more of Yoshiko XD**


	112. The Truth About Baking

The Truth About Baking

It was, Nowaki decided when he was the first to get up Sunday morning, a good day to bake. Hiroki had no classes on the weekends and Nowaki had the entire day to himself, though he had an early shift at the hospital on Monday. By the time Hiroki managed to drag himself out of bed, he could smell biscuits cooking, and there was a strange patch of white on the ceiling that he sincerely hoped was flour.

"Nowaki, what the hell are you doing?" He went over to the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee. Nowaki had managed to make coffee, at least.

Nowaki just smiled as he took a fresh biscuit out of the pan and presented it to his boyfriend. "Sometimes I like feeling useful, Hiro-san."

Hiroki frowned at that, staring at the pastry presented before him. There were a million things he could've said right then, and every single one sounded sappier than he was willing to be. So instead, he watched as Nowaki broke off a bit of the biscuit and walked over to Eri-chan's cage, giving it to her.

"Nowaki."

"Yes, Hiro-san?" Nowaki was down on his haunches as he fed Eri-chan, and when he turned his head, he was immediately met with Hiroki's lips. He couldn't help but smile, and it stayed on his lips even when Hiroki pulled away, looking embarrassed. "I love you, Hiro-san."

Hiroki folded his arms, the blush never leaving his cheeks. "I know."


	113. The Truth About Reporters

The Truth About Reporters

When Misaki got back to his and Usagi's apartment building after classes one day, he noticed a woman lurking around, looking incredibly suspicious. She had a notepad in one hand and a camera around her neck. Quite frankly, Misaki wanted nothing to do with her. He especially wanted nothing to do with her when she ran up to him and asked if he could give her access to Akihiko Usami's apartment.

Usagi was out for the day, though, so Misaki was alone until Aikawa decided she had chewed him out enough. He went about his usual chores such as vacuuming and laundry, and when he went to put the clothes on the line, he was able to look down at the sidewalk and just barely see the reporter still standing there. It had been three hours, and he was kind of sick of it.

Misaki had grocery shopping to do, though, so he decided to brave the possible onslaught of questions and make the trek. No sooner had he left the building than the reporter was on him again.

"Was that you on Usami-sensei's balcony? So you _can_ get me in there!" The woman followed Misaki down the sidewalk, reaching for the pencil behind her ear and flipping to a fresh page in her notepad. Misaki hunched his shoulders and tried to walk faster, but she still followed him without trouble.

Finally, Misaki reared around and said, "Look, I think that's him!" When the reporter was distracted, he ran for it, finally hiding in the flower shop down the street. The counter clerk gave him a strange look when he ducked behind a shelf of flowerpots but didn't say anything.

**A bit of advertising: crossinthenight on LiveJournal created a Sekaiichi Hatsukoi drabble meme on her journal a while back, but it's really slowed down both in terms of requests and responses, so I thought I'd mention it here :D Go to http : / / crossinthenight . livejournal . com/ 5147 . html without the spaces. Anon comments are enabled, so you don't have to have an LJ account to post (or if you feel weird requesting XD) GO FORTH, MY PRETTIES, GO FORTH.**


	114. The Truth About Old Friends

The Truth About Old Friends

Miyagi was away for a conference for a few days, and so Hiroki had the office to himself. When he realized this he was rather relieved, especially when Miyagi's classes for those days were cancelled rather than left to him. He could actually get some work done.

Or, he could if Akihiko hadn't decided to spend the entire day in there with him.

"Don't you have something better you could be doing?" Hiroki asked, his voice barely even as he made a mark on the paper before him. He had thought that maybe having his students give him responses to the required reading would better their understanding of it. Apparently not.

"Mm, I guess, but there's been a reporter hanging around my apartment building for a week now. She's pretty persistent." Akihiko held the book he'd been reading up in the air, as if that would help him understand it better. Then he eyed Hiroki. "I see you aren't trying to slick your hair back anymore."

"Bakahiko!" Hiroki yelled, chucking a book at him and then, of course, having to push a piece of hair out of his eyes. Akihiko easily dodged the thing, and it hit the window before sliding to the floor. Hiroki huffed. "Anyway, can't you call the police on her?"

"Nah. She's never come in. And it's not like the street is private property." Akihiko put his legs on the floor and sat up. "She'll get tired of it soon and leave."

"And in the meantime, you're going to harass me here." Hiroki's voice was flat but his eye was twitching.

"Well I can't exactly go to your apartment anymore with that guard dog of yours," Akihiko said, reaching for a cigarette. Hiroki didn't even bother stopping him, with how much Miyagi smoked in their office. He did open a window, though.

"You liar. You've been to my apartment plenty of times since Nowaki and I got together."

"And each and every time he looks like he's going to bite my head off."

Hiroki snorted and went back to grading homework. "Yeah, you have that effect on people."

**Not gonna lie, I couldn't resist that hair comment when I went back to look at the second Romantica chapter and, for the first time, noticed Hiroki had his hair gelled back. I snorted so hard.**


	115. The Truth About Cleaning

The Truth About Cleaning

From time to time, the Kamijous (or rather, Toko) liked to look through the things they had accumulated over the years and see if they couldn't donate some to charity. It wasn't that they didn't have the room to keep pretty much everything, it was just good publicity to donate physical objects instead of just money. And on this particular weekend, they had convinced Hiroki to join them in case they found anything of his. Nowaki, of course, was more than happy to join.

"Hiro-san, was this yours?" he asked, holding up a thin book with stiff, cardboard covers and a bright picture.

Hiroki didn't smile, but it looked like he kind of wanted to. He took the book from Nowaki's hands and started flipping through it. "Yeah, this is the first book I ever read on my own." His parents weren't around, since they were going through the spacious attic, but Hiroki still looked around before carefully putting the book in his bag.

Nowaki couldn't help but smile at this gesture, but he knew that asking why Hiroki wanted to keep that book would only infuriate him. So instead he went back into Hiroki's spacious closet and looked around at the boxes some more. One was labeled pictures, and even though it probably wasn't meant to be touched, he couldn't resist looking.

He crinkled his eyebrows at the first picture on the pile, though. He took it out and stared at it until Hiroki noticed that Nowaki had stopped working. "Hiro-san, who is this?"

Hiroki took the picture from Nowaki, and as soon as he got a good look at it, his face went completely red, and he stomped out of the room. "MOM!" he yelled, repeatedly, until Toko finally descended from the attic. "Why the hell am I in a dress in this picture?"

Toko raised her eyebrows. "Ah, I remember this!" She smiled like it was a very fond memory. "You had trouble saying your own name when learning to talk, and eventually you'd say Hiroko. Your father and I told you that was a girl's name, so for a few months, you had it in your mind that you were a girl."

Hiroki scowled the most hideous scowl of his life before tearing up the picture, choosing to ignore Nowaki's stifled laughs in the background.


	116. The First Parental Truth

The First Parental Truth

Hiroki and Nowaki stayed over the night after they helped Hiroki's parents sort through their things. That morning, Hiroki woke up a little disgruntled, mostly because it was cold and he didn't have any clothes on. The fact that there was constant knocking on his locked door might also have had something to do with it.

"Just a minute, geeze," Hiroki said, quickly gathering up his night clothes and putting them on. He eyed Nowaki, who had been hogging the covers in his sleep. So that was why Hiroki was so cold. When he opened his door, Toko was standing there, a nervous smile on her face.

"Breakfast is ready, Hiro-chan," she said. When Hiroki just stood there staring at her, she added, "I'm glad you and Kusama-san have such a lively relationship even after all these years."

"…what?" Hiroki just stared at her, having no idea what she was even talking about.

Toko just backed up a little waving her hands. "I got up around midnight and happened to pass your door, Hiro-chan! Of course I wasn't listening on purpose but…"

Hiroki's eyes went wide when he realized what his mother was implying, and he was just glad he had taken the time to put on all of his clothes instead of just his pajama bottoms. "Mom, we're grown men! You should know not to-"

"I just think it's cute! That kind of passion completely left your father and my relationship after the first year." She sighed, putting her hand to her cheek as if having a flashback. Before Hiroki could protest more, his father called from the kitchen, and she left to go tend the food.

Hiroki sighed, banging his head on the doorframe. He needed to stop bringing Nowaki when he visited his parents.


	117. Misaki's Truth About Growing Up

Misaki's Truth About Growing Up

When Misaki got home from his part-time job one night, he found Usagi's apartment positively filled with gifts. Misaki had been aware that one of Usagi's novels was supposed to come out, but it seemed people had been extra grateful to him this time around. Perhaps he'd managed to get things in on time.

"Hah, yeah right," Misaki said to himself as he put his bag on the counter. Usagi was just descending the stairs as Misaki went over and investigated some of the boxes. There were quite a lot of sweets, meaning whoever sent those gifts didn't really know Usagi that well. Even Aikawa knew Usagi didn't like sweet things.

"You can have those if you want," Usagi murmured, sticking a cigarette in his mouth but not lighting it. They were simple jelly treats, but they probably contained about a gallon of sugar in each piece.

Misaki found himself shaking his head. "No thank you. I'd probably eat them all at once."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I don't… like eating a lot of sweets at once," Misaki said, staring longingly at the boxes. "It's not like I believe it anymore, but when I was younger, Niichan told me eating lots of cake or other sweets at once would make me pregnant."

Usagi stopped at that, the cigarette falling out of his mouth as he just stared at Misaki in disbelief. Then again, with all the stories Takahiro had told him over the years of his efforts to raise Misaki, he somehow believed it.


	118. Misaki's Seventh Truth

Misaki's Seventh Truth

Misaki considered himself lucky the first day he walked into his new literature class and saw he'd be having Miyagi instead of Kamijou that semester. Professor Miyagi was passionate about the subject of ancient Japanese literature, but he was also a kind man. Then again, after Kamijou the Devil, Misaki would've taken pretty much anyone.

As the semester continued on, though, Misaki began feeling like there was something very off about the man. He seemed to be the only one of this opinion, though. Miyagi's students loved him. Misaki decided to just leave it alone. At least until he had to visit the office he shared with Hiroki.

When he got there, Hiroki was just leaving and paid no attention to him. There was, however, a boy about Misaki's age pacing the hall. He'd been about to open the door when he saw Misaki. He scowled and folded his arms.

"Um, were you hoping to see Professor Miyagi?" Misaki asked, shuddering under the very palpable tension.

"He's not in there right now." The boy slumped against the wall beside the door, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon." Misaki hesitantly sat down beside the boy. "I'm Misaki Takahashi."

"Shinobu Takatsuki."

"So you're one of Professor Miyagi's students?"

"No."

"Hah?"  
>At that point Miyagi came down the hall, a pile of books in his arms. Shinobu checked the empty hall once before standing up. He took enough of the books to expose Miyagi's face before getting up on his tiptoes and kissing him.<p>

"You're affectionate today, Shinobu-chin." Miyagi was smiling when Shinobu pulled away, not even noticing the terrified Misaki until he bolted. "Takahashi-san?"

Shinobu dropped the books and pulled Miyagi by his tie into the office. "Fuck me, Miyagi."

"…why?" He said no more after Shinobu glared at him, then closed and locked the door.


	119. The Truth About Confessions

The Truth About Confessions

When Misaki really thought about it, he'd never been confessed to in school. Other than his family, Usagi was really the first person to tell him he loved him, who was followed by Haruhiko and Kaoruko. And yet here he was, in his second year of college and being cornered outside of his literature class by a girl he knew to be a freshman.

On the one hand, as she blushed and finally got up the courage to ask him out, he was flattered. On the other hand, he just knew Usagi was waiting outside in his car, counting the seconds it took Misaki to get out to him since his class ended.

"I'm very sorry, but I can't go out with you," Misaki said, bowing. He pulled the strap of his messenger bag back up on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry!" The girl blushed harder than Misaki had ever managed. "My friends said I shouldn't try but I thought maybe they were wrong."

"…wrong?" Misaki instantly knew he'd regret digging deeper into that particular train of thought.

"My friends said you're in a relationship with Usami-sensei. You live with him, and he always transports you to and from school. Everyone knows he's pretty much a recluse even when he's not writing." She averted her eyes and ran for it like saying anything more would cause Usagi himself to appear.

It didn't, and Misaki frowned when, as usual, Usagi's red sports car was parked outside the university gates. He hadn't gotten out, so he must've just arrived.

"Have a good day?"

"Yeah…"

Usagi narrowed his eyes behind his driving glasses and slid them over to Misaki. "What's with you?"

"Nothing!" Misaki violently grabbed his seatbelt and tried to jam it into place, but his anger was clouding his motor skills. He blushed when Usagi ended up doing it for him, letting his hands linger on Misaki's before he leaned over and kissed him. Misaki's face turned beat red, but he couldn't help but forget the students milling around them.

When Usagi finally pulled away, he said, "Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?"

"You're avoiding one of your deadlines aren't you?"

Usagi just smiled and put the car into gear.

Maybe, Misaki decided, it wasn't so hard rejecting those girls after all.


	120. The Truth About Assuming

The Truth About Assuming

Despite all his nosey students, it was not a widely-known fact within members of the university that Hiroki was gay. That was, of course, what led to situations like a woman from another department sitting down in his office when the door was open and flirting with him when he was trying to read the research text that had just arrived.

"I have to say, you don't look anywhere close to thirty," the woman said when Hiroki told her he was twenty-nine. "I wish I knew your secret, Kamijou-san."

"Constant physical activity," Hiroki said, only a hint of irony in his voice.

"So you even find the time to go to the gym." The woman smiled. "You really are amazing."

Quite frankly, after years and years of listening to Nowaki's naïve but painfully honest praise, all this woman served to do was irritate the hell out of him. Speaking of Nowaki, however, he had gotten off work a while ago and was probably waiting at the gate by then. Hiroki knew that even with him there, he'd get more work done at home.

"I need to get home. Have a nice night." As he put on his coat and pulled his knit hat almost over his eyes, he noticed his guest was ready to leave as well.

"We can walk together." She smiled, and Hiroki didn't bother arguing.

Sure enough, when Hiroki reached the gate of the university with the woman in tow, Nowaki was standing there, not really doing anything but still gaining attention. The woman rose her eyebrows.

"He looks a little old to be a student." She sounded intrigued, though. Hiroki rolled his eyes at how easily her attention swayed.

Completely ignoring that he had someone with him, Nowaki smiled when he saw Hiroki. "Hiro-san! I went to the store before I came over. They were having a sale on watermelons today."

"…don't tell me you bought too many again," Hiroki said, eying the bags in his boyfriend's hands.

"No, Hiro-san, I only got two today. But you're the one that really likes them."

"We don't have the room for you to get five watermelons again just because I told you I like watermelon." Hiroki huffed and started down the street, only remembering the female professor when Nowaki looked at her, puzzled. In retrospect, he probably should've introduced them. He didn't know her name, however, so he just said, "Come on, Nowaki. I'm hungry."

"Yes, Hiro-san!"


	121. The Truth About Invitations

The Truth About Invitations

Sometimes Nowaki managed to make friends with parents of his patients, especially if the children were in the hospital for more than a few days. It always saddened Nowaki, of course, when a child had to be there that long, but it made it even more of a relief when they went home with a big smile on their face.

His most recent patient was a girl with respiratory problems that had taken two weeks to get under control. She'd been in every day for treatment and tests, and when they finally decided to see how she would do on her own, the parents were so grateful at their daughter's improved condition that they ended up inviting Nowaki to have dinner at their house when he was free.

"Um, I would love to, but usually if I have that time free I like to eat at home." Nowaki averted his eyes. "My lover is a professor and between our jobs we don't get to see each other as much as we'd like."

"You can both come, of course." The mother smiled as she held her daughter in her arms. The little girl, named Ririko, was practically falling asleep. It was almost nine at night, after all, and their appointment wasn't meant to last anywhere near as long as it had.

Nowaki smiled. "Thank you. I'm sure Hiro-san would love to." Even Nowaki knew this was a blatant lie, but he hated to completely reject the invitation. Plus, it had been a while since they'd really associated with anyone outside of the usual people, and Nowaki did love people, even if Hiroki didn't.

After exchanging phone numbers, Nowaki realized that his shift had ended almost a half hour ago. He was surprised that no one had told him to go home. As Nowaki went to the locker room to hang up his coat and get his bag, he suddenly had a thought that he maybe should've told them that his lover was a man. It was only a passing thought, though.

**I don't say it enough, but I really do love all of you who take the effort to review :D That may or may not be a plea for those of you who don't to jump in but I will say I am an awesome person to talk to if you like excited fangirls and emoticons. Also this is another multi-parter but feel free to still demand me to write something in the future, I'm up for requests.**


	122. The Truth About Meeting New People

The Truth About Meeting New People

Hiroki always said yes to Nowaki in the end whether it was taking a bath together or, apparently, having dinner with a thankful family from the hospital. That didn't, though, mean he had to enjoy it. Especially not when he had to meet Nowaki without being able to change from his work clothes first.

"You look wonderful, Hiro-san," Nowaki said after he heard Hiroki grumbling about it. They were standing outside the family's apartment, smells of cooking meat wafting from it enticingly.

Hiroki averted his eyes and ran a nervous hand through his hair. "I don't trust your opinion. You say the same thing when I wake up in the morning." He said it barely loudly enough for Nowaki to hear.

"That's because you always look wonderful." Nowaki finally pulled his eyes from Hiroki and knocked on the door. Ririko was the one to answer, and Nowaki smiled warmly as he leaned down. "Hello, Riri-chan."

"Good evening, Kusama-sensei." She smiled shyly as Nowaki patted her on the head. "Daddy told me to say that."

"You sound very grown-up." He turned to Hiroki, who lurked out in the hall even as Nowaki took his shoes off. "Hiro-san."

"Yeah, yeah."

Ririko watched with interest as her mother looked in from the kitchen and stopped, staring at Hiroki as he slipped off his dress shoes. "Mama! Kusama-sensei brought his girlfriend!"

"Riri-chan, please put your toys away. Your father and sister will be home soon."

"Okay, Mama!" Ririko picked up an armful of dolls and accessories before toddling off to her room. Hiroki's eye was twitching, but it didn't look like he'd do anything violent. Yet.

"Good evening, Yamato-san," Nowaki said with a smile, but he was ignored.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have assumed your partner was a woman!" She started rambling on about how she most certainly wasn't homophobic and how it was completely fine with her, and Hiroki's eye started twitching again.

"And you wondered why I didn't want to come," he muttered in Nowaki's ear.

"She _is_ trying, Hiro-san."

"Oh I'm sorry! I never got your name."

Hiroki's eye was still a bit twitchy as he bowed and said, "Hiroki Kamijou."

"And Kusama-sensei said you're a professor."

"Yes. I teach literature at Mitsuhashi University."

"Ah, my older daughter goes there. Perhaps you know her." A ringing sounded from the kitchen, distracting her from any further conversation.

As Yamato-san went to tend the food, Hiroki said, "Can I go home yet?"

"No, Hiro-san."


	123. The First Truth About Students

The First Truth About Students

Hiroki wasn't quite sure how it had ended up this way, but Nowaki was in the kitchen helping Yamato-san cook while he sat on the floor of the living room, observing as Ririko painstakingly drew out the Kanji she was currently learning in school. Ririko's handwriting was messy, but if Hiroki squinted, he could tell what they were supposed to be.

The door opened, and Hiroki looked up in time to watch Yamato-san walk over to it. It seemed her husband and older daughter were home. She said something to them that Hiroki didn't hear. Just as Nowaki was coming out of the kitchen, a girl's voice asked, "He's gay?"

"Ah, that's kind of hilarious, Mimi," a man's voice said. "So much for you marrying a doctor."

"I never said I wanted to marry him!" The girl's voice was indignant.

Hiroki snorted in amusement and stood up, placing himself beside Nowaki as the three family members finally stepped out of the entryway. The girl, Mimi, stopped dead as soon as she saw them.

"Pr-professor Kamijou!" And then she ducked behind her father, looking absolutely terrified. "I'm sorry!"

"Mimi-chan, Kamijou-san is Kusama-sensei's partner," Yamato-san said gently.

"Sorry, reflex." Mimi took a deep breath before stepping out from behind her father and bowing. "It's good to see you, professor."

"Yeah." Hiroki bowed, but he glanced up at Mimi. He could honestly say he didn't recognize her, but her reaction indicated that she must've been in one of his classes. He'd have to go through his papers and look up Mimi Yamato when he got home.

"That is no way to treat our guests," Yamato-san admonished her daughter as they went into the kitchen to finish dinner.

"Mom, he's the professor I was complaining about, the one that throws things at his students!"

Ririko suddenly held up the piece of paper she'd been pouring over for the last several minutes, exposing the pink marker streaks up and down her arm. The was a Kanji symbol on it, large enough to take up the entire paper. "See? It says doctor!"

Well, at least Ririko was having a good time.


	124. The Truth About Love

The Truth About Love

Hiroki did manage to escape a while after dinner, pointing out he had work to do and classes in the morning. Nowaki had offered to go home with him, but Hiroki had just scowled and told him to not be home too late (Hiroki's definition of late varied dependant mostly on how horny he was and sometimes how lonely).

Mimi and her father were in the living room, arguing over some kind of quiz show while Nowaki and Yamato-san drank tea at the kitchen table.

"If you don't mind my asking, how did you and Kamijou-san meet?" Yamato-san suddenly asked, putting down her mug. She almost expected Nowaki to refuse to answer, but he just smiled.

"In a park. I was shooting off toy rockets with some friends, and one went off course and nearly hit him. Hiro-san likes to say that if it were a few centimeters closer he'd be sterile now." He continued to smile behind his cup of tea. "It's been seven years since then, though, so I don't think he really holds it against me."

"Seven years?" Yamato-san sounded impressed in a surprised sort of way. If Hiroki had been around, he probably would've demanded to know why that was impressive. After all, she had a daughter old enough to be in college, so surely her marriage had lasted longer. "That's about when we adopted Riri-chan, actually."

Nowaki's eyes wandered to the younger Yamato, who was sitting on the living room floor drawing on her arms at that point. He'd known from her medical records that her current parents were not her biological ones, but being an orphan himself, he didn't find it appropriate to bring it up unless it was needed. It had made it harder to determine what was wrong with her, of course, with no family history to go by, but he had managed.

"She's very lucky." When Yamato-san stared at him, he continued with, "I was raised in an orphanage. I considered the owners my parents but the children weren't always so kind."

"I'm sorry!" Yamato-san looked horrified. "I seem to be saying all the wrong things today."

"It's alright," Nowaki said agreeably. "I've learned, over the years, that family doesn't have to be blood-related. As long as they love each other. That means I have family, because I don't think there's any way possible I could love Hiro-san any more than I do."

Yamato-san smiled and looked over to Ririko. She was currently engaged in drawing on Mimi's face. Then she frowned. "Riri-chan, leave your sister alone!"

"But Mama, I'm making her pretty!" After which she proceeded to take a blue marker and color in her sister's eyelid. Mimi was too distracted to even care.

Yamato-san sighed in a tired sort of way, and all Nowaki could do was smile and say, "Love does come in many forms, Yamato-san."


	125. The Truth About Showers

The Truth About Showers

Shinobu was home before Miyagi one night and had already taken a shower and changed into comfortable clothes for the night by the time his lover came trudging in, looking like the world had just kicked his ass.

"What's the matter with you?" Shinobu asked. Miyagi just shook his head as he took off his shoes, and Shinobu stood up. "I'll start dinner."

"Is the hot water running?" Miyagi asked halfway to his bedroom.

"I just took a shower and it was fine." Shinobu never even looked at Miyagi as he took things out of the fridge and considered their ability to make any kind of meal. Neither Shinobu nor Miyagi had really had the time that week to go shopping, so all they had left were things they hadn't managed to use the previous week.

Shinobu eyed the fridge, where a pad of paper was attached to the freezer door with a magnet. He'd gotten it so he could make shopping lists as a kind of passive-aggressive way of telling Miyagi he wanted to go shopping with him, but it didn't seem to work. Like every other part of their relationship, it seemed if Shinobu wanted it to happen, he'd have to actually approach Miyagi about it.

Shinobu was broken out of his thoughts by Miyagi screaming and a loud crash sounding from the bathroom. He glanced over to the control box in the corner of the kitchen only to remember he'd turned the hot water off after his shower.

"Are you trying to sterilize me you brat?" Miyagi demanded from the bathroom. Shinobu ducked his head and grabbed the shopping list from the freezer door. He was not willing to answer that sort of question.


	126. The Truth About Lost Chances

The Truth About Lost Chances

Whenever Miyagi saw Hiroki and Nowaki together, the first thing that came to his mind was not, in fact, being choked and nearly having his lights punched out. It was hearing them finally leave the library and glancing out of the office to see his prickly coworker hand-in-hand with another man, actually smiling as Nowaki said something that was no doubt both sappy and completely inane. It reminded him that maybe, at some point, he wanted to be the one to make Hiroki smile like that.

As Miyagi went into a café to get coffee before heading to the school, he spotted Hiroki and Nowaki at a table, Nowaki's eyelids drooping but his eyes completely focused on the man before him as he perused the menu. Hiroki didn't have a class until noon that day and so didn't need to be in, but he probably would be after he ate.

"On a date, Kamijou-sensei?" Miyagi teased, walking up to their table after acquiring a cup of coffee for himself and tea for Shinobu (the boy was currently sitting in Miyagi's car, probably sour-faced at Miyagi telling him to stay in there).

"Don't you have a class in ten minutes, professor?" Hiroki never even looked up from the menu.

"Ah, that I do! I suppose I'll have to tell Shinobu to take the subway from here. I'm terrified what might happen though." He sighed dramatically.

Nowaki looked up, curious, but Hiroki just scoffed. "That brat would probably beat up anyone that looked at him funny," he said.

"Ah, you give him a lot of credit." Miyagi smiled before bowing and saying goodbye. Hiroki looked at him for about three seconds before turning his eyes to Nowaki.

Hiroki and Nowaki didn't see it, but Miyagi wilted a little as he headed for the door, a distinct sense of sadness coming over him. As he got into the car and started the engine though, completely forgetting to tell Shinobu to take the subway the rest of the way, Shinobu asked, "What's wrong?"

"Just reminiscing, I suppose." Miyagi handed Shinobu his tea.

"Well stop living in the past! _I'm_ here _now_," Shinobu huffed, then sipped at his tea.

Miyagi couldn't help but smile at that. Lost chances, he supposed, just meant you were open later for even better ones.

**Was in a bit of a mood, I suppose, and this came crashing out of me. Hope you enjoyed a little change of pace :D**


	127. The Truth About Seafood

The Truth About Seafood

Misaki really didn't like shopping with Usagi. He always got the most ridiculous things, and didn't even end up eating them half the time. This time, however, he didn't need Usagi with him to end up with something silly. Oysters had been on sale at the market, and he thought it was such a good deal that he ended up buying a lot. He really wasn't sure where his mind had gone at the time, but he suddenly found himself with enough to include them in meals for a week.

When he finally got home and started dinner, Usagi was in the living room tapping away on his laptop, and he looked up and got an amused look on his face at all the bags. "Buying in bulk, Misaki?"

"Shut up," Misaki said, frowning and getting out the rice so he could start cooking it. "Anyway, I'm still feeding you so what should it matter?"

Usagi put his laptop aside and went to look in all the bags. Most of them were filled with the oysters Misaki had gotten, and Usagi looked at them all with interest, taking his cigarette out of his mouth and blowing out a trail of smoke.

"You know, Misaki," Usagi said, taking out one of the packages. "I don't really need these. If you wanted more sex you could've just asked."

Misaki reared around and snatched the package from Usagi's hands. "As if!"

He would not, however, end up sleeping that night.

**Going home for the weekend so no updates at least for Saturday. When I realized that I managed to pull myself away from marathoning Tiger and Bunny to write one last drabble. Hope you enjoyed it, and hope to hear from all of you :)**


	128. The Truth About Sneaking Around

The Truth About Sneaking Around

Misaki felt a pair of eyes on him as he sat in his literature class, tapping his mechanical pencil on the floor and hoping Professor Miyagi wouldn't ask him his opinion of the piece they'd read for that class. It wasn't that he hadn't done the reading or anything, it was just that he'd been rather distracted while doing it and hadn't been able to completely comprehend it. Locking himself up in his room didn't really work anymore.

He slid his eyes over to the window on the door, expecting Usagi to be standing out there, unable to wait in the car for whatever reason. Usually if he couldn't sit still he'd go to Hiroki's office, but there had been a few times when he'd been waiting right there. It wasn't Usagi, however; in fact, it didn't seem to be _anyone_.

When Professor Miyagi finally dismissed them all, Misaki was hesitant to step out into the hall. Eventually he had to, though, mostly because he'd been lurking in the doorway and not all the students were willing to just squeeze past him.

"There you are!"

Misaki jumped in surprise and whorled around to see the reporter that had been stalking his apartment complex for the last two weeks. He hadn't seen her in a few days so he thought she had finally given up, but it seemed she had simply moved on to a new tactic.

"Excuse me! Is Usami-sensei picking you up today?" she asked, following Misaki even as he speed-walked through the halls. Misaki was trying to ignore her. Just as she reached out a hand to grab his shoulder, though, she was stopped herself.

Hiroki was behind her, glaring underneath his glasses and looking quite ominous. "Students told me there was someone sneaking around. If that's you, I suggest you leave before I call the police."

That was all it took; the reporter ran for it, dropping her notepad and not even caring. Hiroki rolled his eyes and picked it up. Misaki was staring at him. "What are you looking at? If you're done for the day, go the hell home."

"Yes, sir!"


	129. The Truth About Strangers

The Truth About Strangers

Nowaki hadn't gotten back from his night shift at the hospital. Normally Hiroki would just be waking up as Nowaki stumbled into bed after such a shift, muttering whole-hearted but incredibly tired-sounding apologies that he couldn't fix breakfast that morning. Hiroki tried not to think too hard about it as he grabbed a breakfast shake from the fridge, along with the lunch Nowaki _had_ managed to pack for him before heading out the door the previous night. Hiroki had acted like he hadn't even noticed at the time, but he definitely did.

Just as Hiroki slipped on his good shoes and opened the front door of their apartment, he stopped. There was a woman standing there, her hand raised up indicating that she had been about to knock. They just stared at each other for about a minute before Hiroki managed to say, "Can I… help you?"

"You're not Nowaki Kusama."

Hiroki looked annoyed as he reached down and pulled at the back of one of his shoes. "No. Do you have business with him?"

"The owners of the Kusama orphanage told me he lives here."

"He hasn't gotten back from work yet." Hiroki felt slightly more suspicious of this woman now, but he had to be at the university soon or he wouldn't have time to get anything done before his first class. "And he'll probably go right to sleep when he does. If you need to talk to him, come back this evening."

The woman seemed confused but nodded, and after Hiroki had locked the door, he didn't bother to make sure she left; he just headed down the hall, ignoring her oddly familiar eyes staring after him.

**Once again tearing myself away from Tiger & Bunny to write something XD I am a terrible fangirl, getting distracted with alternative slash options. Ah well. Points to anyone who can guess what's coming up!**


	130. The Truth About The Journal

The Truth About The Journal

That woman was there when Hiroki got home that night, sitting on the couch and looking nervous. She had jumped out of her skin when the door opened.

"I'm sorry!" the woman said. "I wasn't aware you actually lived here."

"…why the hell else would I have been leaving here in the morning?" He realized her implication even as he said it, though, and he scowled at his shoes. When he looked up, it was in time for Nowaki to kiss him and say something about dinner. "Yeah, yeah. But why's she here?"

"Um!" She quickly stood and bowed. "I suppose now is a good time to tell you." She reached into her purse and produced a journal. The cover looked worn and beat-up, and the pages were falling from the binding. "I found this in my parents' attic about a month ago. It's a journal my mother kept after I was born." When Nowaki and Hiroki just stared at her, she frantically opened it. "The first entry is the most important. She… on the date labeled, she wrote about how my father wouldn't let her keep both of her babies. She abandoned her son on the steps of a place called Kusama Orphanage."

"What the hell?" Hiroki asked. Nowaki just stood there, his eyes kind of glazed over.

"Kusama-san was the only baby they took in that day!" The woman had tears in her eyes now. Hiroki almost felt sorry for upsetting her. "He would've been my twin brother, and my parents never even mentioned him."

The egg timer went off, and Hiroki muttered to himself as he headed to take care of their food.

"Hiro-san, I can do it," Nowaki protested, but one look from his boyfriend rooted him to the spot. He looked over to the woman claiming to be his sister. He hadn't even asked her name. "Um, I'm sorry. Hiro-san is often in a bad mood when he gets home from work." He neglected to add that if Nowaki was there when Hiroki came home in a bad mood, there was quite often a mood-lifting blowjob involved.

"It's all right." The woman averted her eyes, a blush painting her cheeks. "Um, I just… wanted to see you. My- I guess our- parents don't know I'm here. I kind of haven't talked to them since I found that journal."

"Well-" Nowaki stopped, realizing he still didn't know the woman's name.

"Oh! You can call me Kaede."

"Kaede-san." Nowaki swept his eyes over to the kitchen, where Hiroki was reaching up into the cupboard to get two plates. Then Hiroki paused, thought about it, and brought a third one down. He knew full-well Nowaki would invite their guest to stay for dinner. "I'm not sure how to… answer you. If you really think it's me, then perhaps we should both talk to your mother and father."

Kaede frowned, clutching her purse to her chest. "I was afraid you'd say that." She closed her eyes. "I was kind of hoping to keep you to myself, though. Since they didn't want you." Nowaki frowned at that, and Kaede looked up and waved her hands. "I didn't mean it that way."

"Oh just shut up and come eat," Hiroki said from the kitchen, clearly irritated. Kaede looked supremely thankful for the distraction.


	131. The Truth About Family

The Truth About Family

Yamato-san and Ririko were into the hospital a few days after Kaede's visit for a checkup. Nowaki wasn't the one to administer it, but he had been on his rounds at the time and Yamato-san smiled when she saw him.

"Kusama-sensei! How are you?" she asked, giving Ririko some money for the snack vending machine close by.

Nowaki smiled weakly. "Well, I suppose." When he could see Yamato-san wasn't buying that, he thought for a second before saying, "Yamato-san, you don't know who Riri-chan's biological parents are, correct?"

"Unfortunately." Yamato-san glanced down at the floor. "I believe the orphanage we adopted her from told us that they had been homeless and brutally murdered. You know how these things go. Riri-chan was quite young, though, so she doesn't remember." Her eyes shifted off to the side corridor, where Ririko was deciding between snacks. "Has something happened?"

"Ah, I was approached by a woman who thinks I could be part of her family. I just feel like I'm not enthusiastic enough about it."

Yamato-san smiled. "Well, it's as you told me a few weeks back, Kusama-sensei. Family doesn't have to be related by blood. You grew up in a loving environment, from your stories, and perhaps that was enough for you." She bowed as Ririko finally approached, a package of seaweed-flavored Kit-Kats in her hand. "Anyway, I hope it goes well for you either way!"

Nowaki nodded as the two left, then glanced at a clock in an open patient room and quickly got back to work.

**True fact: Japan has over 80 different flavors of Kit-Kats (some regional that can only be found in certain parts of the country). Yeah, I'm scared, too.**


	132. The Implied Truth

The Implied Truth

The relationship Nowaki had with Kaede was a strange one. Nowaki was curious to at least see the man and woman who might be his parents, especially after Kaede had left behind the journal and he had read the entry about himself in there. He never brought it up, though, and Kaede seemed reluctant to let her parents know she'd gone behind their backs like that, even if she _was_ a grown woman and not really under their thumbs anymore.

They hadn't heard from Kaede in a few days, though, and though Nowaki hadn't forgotten about it, it was kind of relegated to the back of his mind. That particular day, he was meeting Hiroki at the coffee shop across the street from the flower shop he still worked at. He'd seen Hiroki when he first went in there; he'd been about two hours early and had set up right at a window facing the shop so he could watch Nowaki but make it look like he was reading Akihiko's latest manuscript.

Hiroki ended up getting engrossed in it actually, and Nowaki accidently surprised him when he came up to the table and put a hand on Hiroki's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Hiro-san." He smiled and gently placed a single red rose on top of the pile of papers.

"I'm not a girl, you goof," Hiroki said, but he wasn't even scowling as he took the rose and put away his papers. When he looked up, though, he noticed Nowaki had his eyes elsewhere.

It was Kaede, entering the shop with a man and woman in tow. She was silent as the woman talked, only occasionally saying, "Yes, Mama," or "No, Mama." Hiroki ducked his head when he realized who those people were. Kaede didn't seem to see them, but the woman did. She glanced at Nowaki and Hiroki's intertwined hands before saying something about disgusting public displays of affection. Kaede wasn't even paying attention to what her mother was saying anymore, just nodding robotically as she picked out a table for them.

"Nowaki…" Hiroki trailed off, but Nowaki was already pulling him out of the café. For once, Hiroki had the tact to not say anything else.


	133. Nowaki's Sixth Truth

Nowaki's Sixth Truth

That night, Kaede called Nowaki on his cell phone. Nowaki had been alone in the living room, Hiroki having slunk off to take a shower after two incredibly enthusiastic rounds of sex.

"Good evening, Kaede-san," Nowaki said, a smile on his face despite himself.

"Good evening." Kaede's voice was hesitant. "I was wondering if you were free tomorrow. Um, I convinced my parents to meet with you, but they're both very busy…"

"…are you sure you want that?" The smile had melted from Nowaki's face, and his mind was occupied with the scornful look Kaede's mother had given him and Hiroki in the café earlier that day.

"I didn't tell them who you are. Just that you're a friend of mine. Mama was the one who suggested it, anyway."

"Well…" Nowaki's eyes slid to the hallway, where Hiroki was just coming out of the bathroom. "I'm sorry, but I have to work tomorrow. Maybe some other time." They said pleasant goodbyes, and Nowaki hung up just in time for Hiroki to enter the living room.

Hiroki was still staying quiet about Nowaki's reluctance to actually meet his alleged parents after what happened at the café. He'd heard the conversation over the phone, however, and he felt like he had to say _something_.

"Nowaki?"

"Hmm?"

"Summer vacation is coming up in a few weeks." Hiroki averted his eyes as he leaned on the back of the couch. "I thought maybe we could go on a trip, if you can get time off from the hospital."

Nowaki lit up at the thought, not even thinking that Hiroki might have some kind of deeper reason for asking it other than wanting to spend more time with him.

"Of course!" Nowaki smiled and dropped his cell phone in his rush to envelope Hiroki in his arms. Hiroki scowled and said something about still recovering from the past two times, but Nowaki didn't pay attention.

**For those who have me on author alert, don't be alarmed by what might inevitably be a flooding of your inbox for a fanfic for Tiger & Bunny XD I'm just terrible at keeping my attention on one thing. Although I recommend you watch the series if you haven't.**


	134. The Blunt Truth

The Blunt Truth

Nowaki finally, officially, met his alleged mother when he was working at the hospital. He was actually on that shift he'd turned down Kaede invitation out to lunch with her parents for. Someone had been brought in earlier for a broken leg, but since it was an adult, Nowaki hadn't paid much attention. At least until he was on his rounds and the attending doctor had asked him to go get a pair of cruches.

When he went into the room with them, he saw Kaede sitting to the side. He handed the crutches off to the doctor, not even looking at who was in the bed. "Oh, good afternoon, Kaede-san." He bowed. He heard a shift, though, and he turned to see Kaede's mother was getting out of bed, a frown on her face. "Oh dear. What happened?"

"Mama fell down the stairs at the office she works at," Kaede said, averting her eyes. Because of that, she never saw the somewhat strained look on Nowaki's face when he realized who the woman was. Suddenly, though, she seemed to realize her mother was looking at her expectantly. "Oh, Mama, this is my friend, Nowaki Kusama."

"Friend, huh?" she asked, narrowing her eyes a bit as she glanced at Nowaki.

"Yes," Kaede said, folding her arms. "He's taken. They've been together over seven years."

"And you haven't married the girl yet?" Kaede's mother sounded somewhat offended, though why, Nowaki couldn't fathom.

There was a beat of silence during which Nowaki had two options: he could simply say no, or he could say something else that had come to his mind the moment she said that. Needless to say, he went with the second option.

"Unfortunately, gay marriage is not yet legal in Japan. If it ever is in my lifetime, I would be overjoyed to marry Hiro-san." He bowed and said his goodbyes, leaving Kaede's mother lecturing her daughter about something he didn't bother eavesdropping on.


	135. Another Truth About Family

Another Truth About Family

It was with a bit of trepidation that Nowaki answered the door two days later. He'd gotten a text from Kaede saying she'd finally snapped and told her mother what she'd been doing for the past few weeks. Fortunately, the time they'd set up to meet also coincided with time Hiroki could be home, so the man was, changed into casual clothes and lounging on the couch with a red pen in his mouth and essays held up in the air as he squinted at them. He didn't even bother sitting up straight as Nowaki let Kaede and her mother into the apartment. The father was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, this place is very clean, at least." She glanced around, obviously trying to think of something positive to say. When Kaede elbowed her mother, she turned to Hiroki, laying on the couch and ignoring their guests. "Kusama-san is a doctor, so what is it that you do?"

"Assistant professor of literature," Hiroki answered like a robot.

"At such a young age?" Kaede's mother arched an eyebrow at the man's shaggy hair, worn t-shirt and baggy cargo pants.

"Um, Hiro-san is twenty-nine," Nowaki said, sounding uncomfortable as he went to the kitchen to pour the tea he'd made earlier.

"Yes, I am," Hiroki supplied, finally sitting up and getting in a more dignified position to continue with his edits. "I've been with Nowaki since I was twenty-two and he was eighteen, so for all intents and purposes, I am his family." He gave the tiniest of glares to the woman running her finger along their large TV, probably looking for dust. And then he couldn't help adding, "And as I'm sure my students will attest to, there's a reason they call me a demon." Another pointed glare before going back to work.

By the time Nowaki came back in with the tea, his mother had left. Kaede looked sheepish as she said, "I think Kamijou-san scared her away."

Nowaki looked over to Hiroki, who didn't even flinch as he took a drink from his tea. When he realized he was being stared at, all he said was, "What?"

**And I believe that is the end of that, because Hiroki _always_ gets the last word.**


	136. The Truth About Ice Cream

The Truth About Ice Cream

Sometimes Misaki hated life. This was mostly when Usagi did something incredibly embarrassing. Bonus points for if said incredibly embarrassing thing was done in public.

This time, Usagi had insisted on going with Misaki on his grocery run. Not much had happened during the actual shopping, mind you, except for the few people who had recognized him. No, the problem came after Misaki had pointed out how hot it was and Akihiko bought them both ice cream from a street vendor on the way back to the apartment. Misaki didn't even bother pointing out that ice cream counted as a sweet thing.

They sat down on a bench to eat their treats, and when Misaki looked up, he couldn't decide whether Usagi was doing what he was doing on purpose or not.

"Usagi-san." He had his shoulders hunched and his hands down at his lap, still clutching his cone of chocolate soft serve.

"Hmm?" Usagi continued to lick even through this.

"Could you maybe eat that like a normal person?" He tried his best to hide the blush on his face, but it was obvious from the way Usagi was now staring at him that he was failing miserably.

And then Usagi grinned and set about eating again, fellating his ice cream even slower than before. He even let loose a few moans, albeit quietly, although that was probably because Misaki was the only one he wanted to put this show on for. Misaki's entire face had turned red at that point, and he abruptly stood up and started back down the sidewalk.

"Stupid rabbit!" he yelled as he went. Before he could do anything, though, Usagi had caught up and took his hand, pulling him along faster. "What are you doing?"

"The faster we get home, the faster I can do that to you." Usagi gazed back at the younger man. "Unless you don't mind doing it in public."

Misaki had absolutely nothing to say to that which might be considered coherent.


	137. The Truth About Doing What You Want

The Truth About Doing What You Want

There were many things about Akihiko Usami that pissed Hiroki off, not the least of which being he continued to write those raunchy BL stories based off his and Nowaki's love life no matter how hard he protested. While Hiroki was a lover of literature and was completely against burning books even if he himself didn't like the contents, in his darker moments, he was tempted to make an exception for those… things.

Which was why he was especially moody when he got to one of his classes early and saw a group of his students gathered around a girl, squealing about Junai Egoist.

"That one isn't even out yet!" one of them said, her eyes shining. "How did you get it?"

"I convinced one of the workers at that bookstore nearby to give it to me early." The girl grinned, and Hiroki scoffed to himself. People were so irresponsible these days. "The sex scenes in this one are so hot, though!" Her eyes were starry, and Hiroki had to look away. "One of them is right on the kitchen table after Nowaki makes Hiro-san a homemade breakfast."

Hiroki snapped to attention at that. Of course Akihiko would use the time Nowaki baked for his novels. He had no idea why he thought it was mundane enough to slip right past his radar. Finally, he sighed and said, "Ladies, class is starting soon. Put that away before I _take_ it away."

"Isn't Professor Kamijou gay?"

"He probably just wants to read it for himself."

"_As if I haven't read those attacks on my character already_." It took a minute for Hiroki to realize he said that out loud. Other students were starting to trickle in, but he felt those girls' stare the entire class period.


	138. A Truth About BL Fangirls

A Truth About BL Fangirls

That afternoon, Hiroki was in his office alone, since Miyagi had a class at that time. It was technically his office hours, but no one was coming in so he was mostly using the time to finish editing Akihiko's latest manuscript.

"Professor Kamijou?"

Hiroki looked up and immediately narrowed his eyes as he recognized the student as one of the girls squealing over Junai Egoist earlier. He sighed and put away Akihiko's manuscript. And then he realized how he looked: his sleeves were rolled up and so were his pants, and he had kicked off his shoes and lounged on the couch in a rather undignified way. The only thing even remotely professional about him was his glasses sitting on the edge of his nose, put thereafter a few minutes of squinting at the kana and Kanji as well as Akihiko's messy handwriting where he'd made notes for Hiroki. He blushed and tried to make himself more presentable.

"I um, didn't catch what the homework is supposed to be, could you…" She trailed off when her eyes went to Hiroki's desk, piled high with photocopies he'd made for his next class.

"What?"

"You don't have pictures?" She swept her hand over the desk. The only personalized thing on it was a snow globe with a miniature rendition of T University, one of the many gifts Nowaki had gotten for him the previous Christmas.

"Of what?"

"Your boyfriend."

Hiroki's eye twitched as he slapped Akihiko's rough draft on the couch and stood up, not bothering to put his shoes back on. "The homework is on your syllabus, so look on there. You're wasting my time." He didn't have to push her out because she ran for it.

"I live with the man, why the hell would I need a picture of him when I see him every day?" When he turned, he realized his student was standing there in the door, just staring at him like she's won the lottery. The lottery of BL fangirl, maybe. "Get the hell out of my sight."


	139. The Truth About Revenge

The Truth About Revenge

Misaki had no idea how it had happened, but in the time between when Usagi had dropped him off at the university and when he got off his part-time job, the entire first floor of the apartment had become a mess. At first he thought there had been a burglar, but nothing appeared to be missing. It was mostly paper strewn everywhere, and when he looked, a few of the teddy bears from the bear room had been relocated to out in the hall.

"Usagi-san?" Misaki asked, placing his bag on the counter and starting to gather up the papers. There was suddenly the slam of a door, and when Misaki looked up, Aikawa was there. She had Usagi's laptop under her arm and was dragging the man by the ear.

"Oh hello Misaki-kun!" She directed a radiant smile at him, a complete one-eighty from the look she's had just a second ago, which had been murderous. "I'm borrowing Usami-sensei for the evening so he can keep up with his deadline. I hope you don't mind!"

"Um, of course not, Aikawa-san." His eyes followed the pair as they headed for the door, but he had to look away when Usagi fixed him with a dark look he just knew had the word 'traitor' behind it. Misaki shivered as he continued picking up the things that had been upended and thrown around in what Misaki suspected was Aikawa searching for her delinquent author. He considered calling his brother and asking to sleep over, but that wouldn't prevent Usagi from taking his revenge later.


	140. The Truth About Long Term Relationships

The Truth About Long-Term Relationships

When Hiroki got home one afternoon, the apartment was oddly silent. Even Eri-chan had nothing to offer over in her cage. After leaving his shoes in the genkan, Hiroki walked into the living room to find Nowaki asleep on the couch.

Hiroki's eyes followed the lines of Nowaki's body, from his lips, open slightly as he breathed through his mouth, to his legs, hanging off the end of the couch because he was just too tall. It was also just the right time of day for the sun to be coming in through their windows, falling on Nowaki's sleeping form and giving him a magnificent glow. Hiroki averted his eyes, feeling almost ashamed. If he'd been caught staring at Nowaki's body when he was awake, he'd deny doing so and maybe throw something at him.

"Idiot," he muttered, but it was with a certain amount of affection in his voice. Nowaki rolled onto his side, leaving room on the couch. Hiroki stood there for maybe five seconds. Then he huffed and, with practiced reluctance, laid down beside him.

Nowaki immediately wrapped an arm around him, and Hiroki's heart stopped as he felt terrified that Nowaki had woken up. After a few seconds, though, it was clear it was just a sleep reflex. So Hiroki settled into Nowaki's arms, the man's naturally high body temperature lulling him to sleep.

"Hiro-san?" The clock read almost seven and the sun was significantly lower in the sky. Nowaki was awake and staring down at his boyfriend, confused.

Hiroki groaned, more confused than Nowaki at the position they found themselves in. Then he finally woke up, and he tried to pull away with little success. "Nowaki, let go of me."

"No." Nowaki buried his face in the back of Hiroki's neck.

"Nowaki, I'm serious. I'm hungry."

"Not cold?" Nowaki smiled into Hiroki's hair.

"You've been clinging to me for three hours, dumbass, of course I'm not cold." He didn't so much as blink even though Nowaki was beaming behind him.

"We can order delivery tonight."

"Then you have to let me order first." Hiroki narrowed his eyes as Nowaki's hands slid under his dress shirt, which had become un-tucked during his nap.

Nowaki smiled as he brushed his lips against the side of Hiroki's neck. "I love you, Hiro-san."

"Don't you ever get tired of me?"

"I never get tired of you, or your body." To emphasize this he ran his fingers over Hiroki's stomach, but he stopped when there came a loud gurgling sound from the same area.

"I told you I'm hungry."

Nowaki could only smile.


	141. The Truth About Late Nights

The Truth About Late Nights

Misaki gazed up at Marukawa, almost awed by it. It was nearly midnight, and he'd been called to pick up the nearly comatose Usagi. At first Aikawa had said she'd bring him home, but Misaki had insisted on going out.

When Misaki approached an elevator, it opened without him even pressing the button. Out came two men, and Misaki vaguely recognized them. They were arguing, though, and Misaki had a feeling he didn't want to get caught-up in it.

"Good evening, Misaki-kun!" Aikawa looked entirely too perky for the time of night. The taxi Misaki had come in was sitting there outside the building, since Misaki hadn't expected it to take long, though, and Misaki just wanted to get Usagi and go home. "Usami-sensei is right over there." She pointed to a lump on the floor that was shaped vaguely like a human.

Aikawa quickly ran for it, looking pleased as she grasped a pen drive Misaki assumed contained Usagi's latest work. They were alone in the office now, and Misaki sighed and slouched down.

"Usagi-san?" Misaki asked. Usagi didn't respond, so he put his hand on Usagi's shoulder. Then he screamed when Usagi suddenly pulled him down, and he found himself on his back on the floor. "Usagi-san!"

"You knew this was coming, Misaki." He smirked before claiming Misaki's lips with his own.

"Stupid rabbit!" Misaki thrashed against him. "We're in public!"

"We wouldn't be the first ones to do this here tonight." Usagi looked bored as Misaki continued to thrash. "The shojo department is almost as good for inspiration as you are."

Misaki stopped at that, suddenly remembering the two men he'd passed on the way there. They were, if Misaki was remembering correctly, members of Marukawa's shojo manga department. He paled, realizing the implications.

"We could always go up to that couch and make it even more useful."

"Stupid Usagi-san!"

**Sekaiichi Hatsukoi season two premiered today, so in honor of that, implied Masa/Ritsu office sex. Hooray!**


	142. The Truth About Planning Vacations

The Truth About Planning Vacations

Hiroki would've found it nice if he and Nowaki could've gotten away for a week to somewhere scenic, preferably in the middle of nowhere so they wouldn't be bothered by a million people and the same kind of noise they dealt with in Tokyo every day. Hiroki was a hard worker, of course, and he loved his job despite all the complaining he did. However, when he took a vacation, he expected to relax.

Which was why he gawked at Nowaki's suggestion that they go to a theme park.

"It's just that… obviously I've never been able to go to a place like that," Nowaki said when he saw Hiroki wasn't going to just okay the suggestion. "There was never that kind of money when I was growing up."

"I've never been to a theme park either, doesn't mean I want to go." Hiroki huffed and went back to reading his book. "They're too crowded with too many kids running around, screaming in your ear and stomping on your feet." He glanced up to see Nowaki smiling, and he narrowed his eyes and pretended to go back to his book. He'd been on the same page for five minutes now.

"What about a water park?"

"I am not walking around all day in nothing but swim trunks," Hiroki said, but he couldn't help but think how nice it would be for Nowaki to do so. He blushed and buried his face in his book before Nowaki could guess what he was thinking.

Nowaki just continued to smile, because at that point, he could pretty much read Hiroki's mind. "If you say so, Hiro-san."


	143. The Truth About Babies

The Truth About Babies

Nowaki came home looking especially tired one night, and Hiroki rose an eyebrow as he looked up from his laptop. His boyfriend was just wandering around the room, looking vaguely like he had no idea what he was doing. He'd come home a few hours later than his shift was supposed to run that night, and so Hiroki assumed something had happened. Usually Nowaki would call and say he was running late, though, so it must've been something big.

"What's with you?" he asked in his usual brusque manner, because even though Nowaki looked lost, he didn't look sad. If one of his patients died or something similar, Hiroki could usually tell.

"Oh! I'm okay, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, finally looking like he realized where the closet was. "I'm just tired. The hospital was short-staffed so I was called to help deliver a baby. It was my first time doing that."

Hiroki just shook his head and went back to the lecture notes he'd been typing. "Another reason I'm glad I'm gay: I don't have to put up with an overly-emotional woman for nine months."

Nowaki frowned into the closet. "It isn't just about the hormones, Hiro-san. It's about bringing a new life into the world. Wouldn't you like that?"

"In her more honest moments, my mother used to tell me that if I ever had children, God forbid they inherited my temper." Hiroki had received far worse insults in his life, though, so he didn't even twitch as he said it.

"Most children have a bad temper as infants. It's just their way of getting attention when they need something." Nowaki stopped at that, a thought crossing his mind. He turned to Hiroki.

"What?" Hiroki asked when he raised his eyes and saw Nowaki staring at him.

Nowaki smiled and pulled some night clothes out of the closet. "Nothing, Hiro-san."


	144. The Truth About Misinterpretations

The Truth About Misinterpretations

Perhaps Nowaki's favorite part of working at the hospital was when he had time to actually interact with the children. That particular night there weren't any incredibly pressing emergencies, so Nowaki managed to go into one of the play rooms where the children healthy enough to be out of bad were doing crafts. Some had clay for making small vases and the like that they'd be able to paint the next day.

"Kusama-sensei!" one of the children said when she saw him. "Do you want to make something with me?"

"Sure." Nowaki had a warm smile on his face as he sat down beside the child, who was looking very determined as she tried to make the clay into some kind of discernable shape. "Are you going to give this to your parents?"

"Uh huh!" the girl said, her brows scrunching in concentration. "You can make something for your wife!"

The smile never faltered from Nowaki's face as he said, "I don't have a wife."

"But Tsumori-sensei said so!" She looked confused, and Nowaki couldn't help but eye his senpai, who was across the room talking to some parents. "He said she's not nearly as cute as you think she is but that she's definitely the girl in the relationship."

Nowaki wasn't sure how he did it, but he managed to keep himself composed. That was probably one to file away and never speak of again, however.


	145. The Truth About The Quiet Ones

The Truth About The Quiet Ones

It was around seven in the evening when Hiroki showed up, the meal that Nowaki had packed for himself and forgotten with him. Nowaki was still chatting away with the girl, who didn't want to go back to her room. Since she didn't have any tests or anything to conduct right then, they decided to not make her.

"Kusama-sensei, I thought you said you don't have a wife!" the girl said, staring over at Hiroki. He wasn't actually comfortable with going into the room since the time he'd smacked Tsumori over the head with Nowaki's bag.

"Hiro-san is not a woman," Nowaki said gently, standing up. "Tsumori-sensei just enjoys hearing himself talk."

"Aw, don't be so mean, Kusama-sensei," Tsumori said, suddenly standing beside the table. "I was just having a bit of fun."

"…I believe the quote goes, 'Few love to hear the sins they love to act.'" His voice was still gentle and agreeable on the surface, but even Hiroki rose his eyebrows from across the room, sensing a somewhat hostile aura coming from his boyfriend.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Tsumori asked, still smiling.

"It means I remember your main reason for skipping out on a shift, senpai." He bowed before walking over to Hiroki. The older man looked slightly confused, not sure what had gone on, but Nowaki just smiled and lifted his bangs, placing a kiss on his forehead. Tsumori had been effectively silenced, at least until the girl asked him to play with her. Children, after all, tend to have much simpler needs than adults.


	146. The Truth About Time

The Truth About Time

Usagi had taken to collecting clocks.

Misaki wasn't sure how it even started. Usagi did get presents from the publisher when his books were published, but Misaki didn't recall any of them being clocks. There they all were, though, as Misaki went into one of the spare bedrooms while he was cleaning one day. He had enough to set them to every time zone in the world, with a few left over simply set to Japan Standard Time.

Usagi was wandering by the open door when Misaki turned around and asked, "Usagi-san, what's with all these?" He let his hand sweep over the room, indicating all the clocks. Some of them were simple wall clocks, but there were a couple elaborately-carved grandfather clocks. How the hell had he missed those being toted into the apartment?

"Aikawa told me one day that I might get my manuscripts in earlier if I didn't waste time, so she's been giving me those." He looked disinterested as he took his cigarette out of his mouth, blowing out some smoke.

"…isn't it kind of counterproductive to have so many set to different time zones?"

"Nope. The next time Aikawa comes bursting in here telling me I'm late getting my material in, I can just point her in here." He smiled like he was the most clever person in the world.

Misaki just stood there for about five seconds before saying, "How has she not killed you yet?"

"Luck, I suppose." Usagi continued down the hall, leaving Misaki to dust every single clock in the room.


	147. The Truth About Cooking

The Truth About Cooking

Miyagi jumped in surprise when he heard a thump in the kitchen. Shinobu had just gotten back from a grocery run and had said something about making dinner, but Miyagi had been absorbed in his work so hadn't even given him a second glance. He finally took his cigarette out of his mouth and stubbed it out in the nearby ash tray before going to see what his boyfriend was up to now.

What he was greeted with was Shinobu considering a huge pile of hamburger meat sitting on the counter. "Shinobu-chin, I may regret this, but what is all this?"

"Oh. It was on sale." Shinobu went back to concentrating.

Miyagi smacked his forehead and shook his head. "Red meat is bad for your blood pressure, Shinobu."

"Yeah, so is smoking a pack a day, old man."

Surprisingly, Miyagi couldn't disagree with that. So instead he said, "Is there any particular reason that was on sale, Shinobu?"

"I don't know, why is anything else on sale in a market?" He started reaching for the rice and, unsurprisingly, the cabbage they still had stored away in their refrigerator. It looked like he finally had an idea what to do with the giant lump of meat.

Miyagi's stomach shuddered at the thought.


	148. The Truth About Popsicles

The Truth About Popsicles

It was, Hiroki decided as he huffed and let his slippers slide from his feet, entirely too hot. With just a week of university classes left until summer vacation started, the early July heat was already getting to him. His students had been losing focus even more than usual, and Hiroki had found himself sitting at his desk as one of his classes filled out a quiz, not even aware that the class period had ended until someone dared point out they could've left ten minutes ago.

The past few days, Hiroki hadn't even had the energy for sex, and of course cuddling with his boyfriend was out; sharing body heat wasn't his idea of fun when it was constantly near forty Centigrade. It would've been nice to at least have him around, though. However, he'd been called into the hospital early in the morning since the rash of people being brought in for heat stroke was on the rise. Hiroki briefly entertained the idea of riding the train over to the hospital since they had working central air conditioning, but it was almost five in the evening and the thought of being stuck on the subway during evening commute made him shudder.

"Kamijou-san? Kusama-san?" Mai was at the door, not even bothering to knock. Hiroki narrowed his eyes, considering if it was worth it to get up or not. "Are you home?"

Finally he sighed and got up, but his feet dragged on the floor. When he opened the door, sure enough, Mai was there with Michi in her arms and a bag of groceries in one hand. "Nowaki's working," he murmured, and he was about to close the door, but Mai put her foot in, preventing him from doing so. "What?"

"I got popsicles?" She held up the bag, and the sheer plastic let Hiroki see the box she had been referring to. "I brought my cooler to the store to put them in so they're still frozen and everything." Hiroki's mouth watered at the thought, which Mai took as an invitation.

The first thing Hiroki did when Mai handed him the watermelon-flavored treat was to fall back on the couch and just lay it on his forehead, sighing at the cold contact. When he'd had enough of that, he peeled back the wrapper and started licking away at it. Then Mai giggled and he stopped, his tongue still about halfway up the popsicle. "What?"

Mai giggled again as she took a popsicle from the box for herself. "Just wondering when Kusama-san will be home."


	149. The Truth About Street Clothes

The Truth About Street Clothes

Hiroki's afternoon class on the last day before summer vacation, as it turned out, was the last class for a lot of his students. The heat hadn't lifted its iron grip over the city, but they still chattered away very happily after Hiroki let them out about their plans for the summer.

He managed to avoid any students approaching him and got to his office without incident. When he got there, however, the door was wide open and he saw Nowaki sitting stiffly on the couch as Miyagi worked at his desk.

When he saw Hiroki, however, Nowaki's eyes lit up. "Hiro-san!" He stood and wrapped his arms around Hiroki.

"I just saw you five hours ago, idiot," Hiroki muttered into his shoulder. Nowaki still wouldn't let go, so Hiroki sighed and returned the hug.

Miyagi suddenly stood up and left, the papers he'd been working on held firmly in his hands. Nowaki still held onto Hiroki tightly, but Hiroki managed to pry himself away enough to watch Miyagi walk down the hall. "What's with him?"

"Professor Miyagi and I didn't see eye-to-eye on a few issues," Nowaki said simply.

"I don't think I want to know." Hiroki shook his head and finally pried Nowaki off him. "What are you doing here, anyway? I thought I said we'd meet up at the apartment so I could change."

"I brought your clothes and other things with me," Nowaki said, indicating the bags that still sat on the couch. "Well, that is, the power went out at the apartment building because so many people were using fans and air conditioners. And then someone on the floor above us got frustrated and threw their AC unit out the window. Luckily no one was hurt…"

Hiroki just shook his head, but he couldn't help admitting to himself that might've been him if he'd been home at the time. So he just shook his head and took clothes from his bag.

Hiroki realized, as he stepped out of the office with his traveling bag over his shoulder, that his students didn't often see him in street clothes. He had on sandals, a pair of knee-length khaki shorts and a simple white t-shirt, as well as a brimmed bucket hat to at least try to protect his eyes from the blazing sun. When he closed the door and Nowaki glanced around, they both noticed there was a girl standing there. Hiroki recognized her as one of his students.

"…yes?" he asked, pulling at the brim of his hat out of habit. The girl just stared at him, her eyes wide and her hands clutching a book Hiroki recognized as one of the ones he assigned them to read over the summer. Finally, the girl shook her head and ran for it, knocking into someone.

If Hiroki didn't know any better, he could've sworn she pointed to him and said, "He actually looks human!"

Hiroki scowled, but Nowaki smiled and laced their fingers together as they walked towards the front door.


	150. The Truth About Splashing

The Truth About Splashing

The next day, when Nowaki and Hiroki got to Tokyo Summerland from the hotel they were staying at, the first thing Hiroki did was set down the blanket they had brought and crack open a book.

"Hiro-san, what's the point of sitting there reading all day?" Nowaki asked, frowning as he got down on his haunches and stared at his boyfriend. Hiroki didn't look like he was going to relent, which just made Nowaki frown more. "At least come into the pool with me. You don't have to go on any water slides."

"I'm perfectly fine here, thanks," Hiroki said, not even raising his eyes up to look at his boyfriend. Nowaki was about to give up for right then and just go off by himself. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, for Nowaki) Hiroki had set up close to the wave pool, and a group of children were splashing each other. One ducked, and the water flew right into Hiroki's face. He didn't look particularly pleased with the development.

Hiroki's eye started twitching and the children, who couldn't have been older than ten, immediately screamed in horror. Nowaki grabbed Hiroki by the arm, but that didn't stop him from yelling threats at them.

"Excuse me! I would appreciate that you didn't threaten my children! They were just playing!" A flustered-looking woman had left her blanket further down the floor, but she didn't look entirely happy about approaching Hiroki.

Nowaki still had a firm grip on Hiroki's arm as he bowed and said, "I'm very sorry, Hiro-san is just sensitive about his books."

The woman eyed them before signaling to her children and having them move further down the pool.

"Do you want to go on the water slides now?" Nowaki asked, his grip loosened on his boyfriend's arm.

Hiroki was still scowling, but he seemed to realize that the mother of those children was still watching them like she was afraid he'd attack her. So he said, "…the water slides might be fun."

**Mysty's had a bad day :( My laptop's keyboard got liquid damage, so it's in the shop. Which means I have no access to my writing other than reading it on here until I get it back. Oh technology, why are you so sensitive? I do have a rented laptop for now, but I will say this: IBM ThinkPads are weird.**


	151. The Truth About Fears

The Truth About Fears

There was just enough time before closing to get a ride on the Ferris wheel outside. Surprisingly, Hiroki didn't complain one bit about it, but Nowaki noticed he was looking a little stiff as they were put into the large car with another couple. Nowaki smiled briefly at them and gave a courtesy bow before sitting down beside Hiroki.

"Hiro-san? Are you okay?" Nowaki asked when Hiroki jumped at the car moving so the next one could be emptied and occupied again.

"How high does this thing go?"

"You saw it yourself, Hiro-san. It probably has a very beautiful view of the area." Nowaki smiled. Then he frowned as Hiroki did his best to scoot away from the windows. "Hiro-san? Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine when we're on the ground again," Hiroki muttered, closing his eyes.

"Is your friend going to be okay?" The woman from the couple sitting across from them looked worried.

Nowaki managed to get closer to Hiroki and put his hand on his forehead with little more than a frown at the close contact. "…I think he's just scared of heights."

"I am not!" Hiroki spat, but when he opened his eyes to emphasize the retort, they shot to the floor, which wasn't see-through like the door or the windows in front of and behind him. "I'm afraid of falling from heights. There's a difference."

"But you went on the water slides earlier with no problems."

"That isn't falling." Hiroki closed his eyes again so he wouldn't have to see the looks on his boyfriend's face or the couple sitting across from them.

Nowaki's face, however, had broken into a smile, and he scooted the rest of the way over and wrapped his arms around Hiroki's stomach. "I'm right here, Hiro-san, I'll make sure you don't fall."

Initially, Hiroki's shoulders tensed as he thought about the display they were putting on for the other couple in their car. By the time they had reached the peak height of the Ferris wheel, however, Hiroki had managed to open his eyes and take a look out the windows. He managed a halfhearted, "…it isn't so bad I guess."

He was still quite happy to be back on solid land at the end of the ride, though.

**Hiroki doesn't seem like he'd be scared of something as mundane as heights, but this suddenly came to me as I was looking up pictures and information for Tokyo Summerland XD Oh plot bunnies.**


	152. The Truth About Etiquette

The Truth About Etiquette

That night, when they got back to their hotel, all Hiroki wanted to do was just curl up in their bed and go to sleep. Unfortunately, that involved him and Nowaki getting up to their room first, and therein was the problem. Not getting up to the room, of course, but the events that took place while they were trying to do so. As soon as they got into the lobby and headed for the elevator, Hiroki heard, "Mama, it's that scary man!"

"Koji, hush and go back to our room!" Sure enough, it was the woman from Tokyo Summerland whose children Hiroki had threatened in some extremely colorful ways. There had to have been literally _thousands_ of people there, and that specific group was staying at the same hotel as them. Hiroki would've banged his head on something in frustration if he could. She looked like she wanted to approach them, but she also looked like she still believed he'd attacked her.

Hiroki sighed and bowed deeply. "I'm very sorry about earlier, ma'am. I realize that I let my temper get the best of me more often than I should." He glanced up from the bow to see the woman was looking stunned, and he had to stop himself from scowling. "My name is Hiroki Kamijou, and this is my partner, Nowaki Kusama." He said the last part without thinking, but he could tell that Nowaki was lighting up behind him at the introduction.

"Partner?" the woman asked vaguely, seeming confused.

"Yes, ma'am. For several years now."

"So you work together?"

Nowaki laughed a little and said, "No. Hiro-san is a professor, while I work in emergency pediatrics."

"Ah, that's nice," the woman said. She never even introduced herself before making an excuse for going after the son she'd sent up to their room.

"And my mother wonders why those etiquette lectures never sunk in. Not worth it." Hiroki rolled his eyes and headed for a different elevator than the one the woman had taken.

Nowaki gently laced his fingers in with Hiroki's, and as soon as the elevator closed and just the two of them were in the car, he leaned down and said, "You were very good, Hiro-san. I think you deserve a reward."

"Stupid." But Hiroki's face was completely red as he tried not to think about Nowaki's specific meaning of the word 'reward.'


	153. The Truth About PDA

It was around midnight when Nowaki finally fell asleep. Hiroki's body ached from two rounds of sex (the first in the shower and the second on the bed almost immediately after) but he was in such a better mood that he didn't really care. He pried himself from Nowaki's arms and set off to find a vending machine with something to eat in it.

Hiroki was aware he only had on pajama pants, and that his messy hair and the fresh love bites on his neck pretty much made it obvious what he had been doing. These things didn't matter when he thought he was alone on the floor. They did matter, however, when he got to the vending machines and saw his "friend" from Summerland sitting over by one for drinks.

She tensed up but said, "Good evening."

"Hello." Hiroki considered the snack machine, absently scratching at his neck. The woman's eyes shot to the marks, and Hiroki rolled his eyes. "They're probably exactly what you think they are."

"Oh! I didn't mean to stare." She looked away and brought a drink can to her lips. "Your, uh, partner said you're a professor. What's your focus?"

"Literature."

"So you're a writer?"

"…not particularly. I prefer the finished product to the process," Hiroki said, finally choosing a snack and pressing the button for it. For the hell of it, he added, "A friend of mine is and I edit for him."

"Would I know him?"

Hiroki snorted and said, "Probably," but didn't elaborate. He did, however, jump in surprise when a warm pair of arms wrapped around his naked torso.

"This is where you got to," Nowaki murmured into his ear, his eyes heavy with sleep and his voice husky. It didn't seem he was aware they had an audience.

"I was hungry." A blush painted Hiroki's cheeks.

"I missed you."

"What, smothering me? I'm not a fucking teddy bear, Nowaki."

"Hmm. But you're soft like a teddy bear, and I did fuck you tonight." He nuzzled his face into the place where Hiroki's shoulder and neck met. "I'd love to do it again, too."

"Nowaki, just go back to our room."

When Hiroki finally pushed the younger man away from him, Nowaki glanced over only to see that woman was still sitting nearby. "Oh, hello."

The woman wasn't even trying to smile anymore. "Hello."


	154. The Truth About Saving People

The Truth About Saving People

Their second day at Summerland, Nowaki made friends with a group of elementary school children who were there as part of their school summer trip to Tokyo. He was having so much fun that he didn't even think to bother Hiroki to get in the water. Not that Hiroki was keen on sitting down after the night he'd had.

He reflected, as he sat gingerly by the side of the wave pool, that a snack was not worth grabby, half-asleep Nowaki. It was, however, worth the conflicted look on the face of their "friend" as they shared a shuttle over to the park.

Of course, Nowaki wasn't distracted enough for long. When the children were gathered to have lunch, Nowaki walked over and plopped down beside him. "Are you tired, Hiro-san?"

"You kept me up all night you doofus, of course I'm tired," Hiroki muttered, because his mood had significantly declined since the previous night. To Hiroki's immense dismay, all Nowaki did was smile and ruffle his hair before saying something about going to buy them lunch. They had food that they'd brought so they could avoid having to pay for every meal, but neither Hiroki nor Nowaki were in the right state of mind to remember to pack any of it that morning.

"Chihiro, watch out!"

Hiroki had just stood up when he heard a woman yelling. When he turned, there was a teenage girl at the edge of the pool. She had slipped and was falling in, in a crowded area. The people she was about to land on screamed but didn't move, so Hiroki rolled his eyes. He was close enough, so he jogged over and took the girl's arm, pulling her back onto her feet. "Watch it, would you?" he asked, releasing Chihiro's arm once he was sure she could stand on her own. "You're going to hurt someone."

At that point, Chihiro was just staring at him with wide eyes. Though Hiroki hadn't intended to go into the water that day he'd still changed into his swimming trunks, and he felt vaguely uncomfortable as she just stared at his bared torso like she'd never seen a half-naked man before. Finally, Hiroki said, "…I have a feeling I'm too old for you, kid." When he turned, though, she finally spoke up.

"Thank you!" she said, bowing deeply.

Hiroki just nodded and went back to his spot to wait for Nowaki, but he couldn't help but feel Chihiro's eyes following him.


	155. The Truth About Crushes

The Truth About Crushes

By the time most people were leaving, tired and soaking in chlorine, Hiroki had spent several hours glancing over his shoulder and seeing Chihiro scramble out of view so it didn't seem like she was stalking him. He jumped in surprise when he left one of the changing rooms and Chihiro was standing right there, changed out of her bathing suit.

"Um, my friends and I were going out to dinner and I wondered if you wanted to go with us." She sounded nowhere near confident, but she stood firm even when Nowaki also left the changing room and stood behind Hiroki.

Hiroki narrowed his eyes and said, "Spending my evening with a bunch of high school kids isn't my idea of fun."

"Hiro-san, be nice," Nowaki said.

"Just being truthful." Hiroki folded his arms.

"Your name's Hiro?" Chihiro's eyes lit up at the prospect.

Hiroki glanced at Nowaki, who was just standing behind him without further comment. Then he glanced to Chihiro, who looked so hopeful. Finally he sighed, and with a bow he said, "My name is Hiroki Kamijou." Then he glanced back at his boyfriend. "And this is Nowaki Kusama." Chihiro seemed to not even notice Nowaki as she just kept staring at Hiroki, so he added, "We were just going back to the hotel so no, I don't feel like going out."

"Oh, okay," Chihiro said, averting her eyes. "I'll be here again tomorrow, so maybe we'll see each other then?"

"I guess so." He watched Chihiro as she made a hasty retreat, then sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "Do we have to come back tomorrow?"

"I suppose we could stay in the room, but it's supposed to hit thirty-eight degrees tomorrow," Nowaki said agreeably. When Hiroki shuddered at the thought, Nowaki tried to put his hand on his boyfriend's shoulder, only to have it pushed away.

Hiroki had a very pronounced scowl on his face as he said, "I need a shower."

"You could've taken one in there," Nowaki said, nodding towards the changing room.

"A public shower."

"Well I use the showers in the hospital sometimes."

Hiroki rolled his eyes and led the way out, not even noticing that Chihiro had been watching the exchange as her friends chattered away beside her.

**Laptop is back :D So no more weird IBM ThinkPad. Oh Kaya, I will never abuse you again *pets*.**


	156. The Truth About Being Too Nice

The Truth About Being Too Nice

They didn't, in the end, end up going back to Summerland the next day. Nowaki was right when he said it was supposed to reach thirty-eight degrees that day, and when Hiroki woke up, he groaned and covered his head with his pillow, complaining about headaches. Nowaki had tried to tell him it was probably just caused by the heat and he'd feel better if he could cool down, but Hiroki refused to move. Finally, Nowaki told Hiroki he'd go get him some medicine from a nearby convenience store and left him to his own devices.

He should have, perhaps, thought to pack medicine when he was putting together his things for the trip. He didn't know why he thought they wouldn't need it. This point was driven home slightly more when he looked up from mulling over brands and saw Chihiro there, frozen in place at the end of the aisle. Apparently she'd been paying enough attention to Nowaki to at least recognize him.

"Hello," Nowaki said, bowing.

Hesitantly, Chihiro walked up to him, but she had to look up a ways to meet his eyes. "Is Hiro-san here with you?"

Nowaki frowned and said, in his most agreeable voice, "I'd prefer if you didn't call him that."

"Why?"

"…only I'm allowed to call him that," Nowaki said, shifting his eyes over to the medicine. "And no, he's not here with me. He woke up with a rather bad headache so I was just getting some things to help him."

Chihiro looked incredibly dismayed at that, but then her eyes lit up as she thought of something. "Would you mind if I came to see him? There's something I want to ask him and…" She stopped at that, her face going entirely red.

Nowaki wasn't stupid, of course, and was aware that Chihiro had a crush on his boyfriend. He still found himself allowing her to follow him, though, because he was a bit too nice for his own good, and perhaps hoped to end her crush sooner rather than later.

"…um, I heard you mention a hospital when you were talking to Kamijou-san. Are you a medical student?" She was quite obviously just trying to make things less awkward.

"Yes. I'm currently serving my residency. I'll actually be done with it in the fall," Nowaki said, finally deciding on a type of pain killer.

"So you're older than Kamijou-san?" Chihiro asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Why would you say that?"

"Well it's just, when I first saw him, I thought he was still an undergrad. Maybe sophomore?"

"…ah, I see," Nowaki said. He didn't deny her assumption, though; that was for Hiroki to do.


	157. The Truth About Fantasies

The Truth About Fantasies

If Chihiro noticed that Hiroki and Nowaki's room only had one bed, she didn't say anything about it. She stood off to the side after entering the room, and all she did was stare when Nowaki pointed her out to Hiroki.

"How are you feeling?" Nowaki asked, leaning over Hiroki. He pulled the wet washcloth from his boyfriend's head and checked his temperature with his hand.

"Not much better," Hiroki muttered, scowling. Then he opened one eye. "You can go to the park, you know. You don't need me to have fun."

"The point of this trip was to spend time together, Hiro-san." Nowaki moved his eyes to the bag in his hand. "I got pain killers if you'd like to take them."

Hiroki sighed and sat up, rubbing his neck. He finally noticed Chihiro there in the corner, and he narrowed his eyes and said, "So what did you want to ask me?"

Chihiro glanced at Nowaki, who silently gave Hiroki the plastic bag and then said something about going to get a newspaper. "Um, Kamijou-san, I really like you."

Hiroki had been reaching for a water bottle on the stand next to him, and when Chihiro said that, his fingers slipped and the bottle fell to the floor.

"Didn't I already say I'm too old for you?" Hiroki asked, moving past polite and straight into pissed off.

"It's not that big a deal! I'm already sixteen! That's no more than what, four years?"

"…where the hell did you get the idea that I'm twenty?" Hiroki asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I just guessed but…" Chihiro couldn't look Hiroki in the eye. "Aren't you?"

"Add ten years to that, kid." Hiroki picked up his water and went to open the bottle of pain killers. "And you're about seven years too late and the wrong gender."

The look on Chihiro's face clearly showed that she was trying to process what she'd just been told. She probably, Hiroki mused, had a whole summer romance scenario set up and was still hanging onto that. She just watched as Hiroki swallowed two pain pills with a gulp of water. When the door opened and Nowaki appeared with a couple different papers in hand, though, she bowed her head and left without a word. Nowaki rose his eyebrows but said nothing.


	158. The Truth About Time Together

The Truth About Time Together

Neither Hiroki nor Nowaki saw Chihiro for the remainder of their vacation, which was fine with Hiroki. As they were packing the last of their things the final morning, Hiroki frowned and stared down at his phone. He hadn't paid much attention to it the entire time they were there, and when he flipped it open, he scrolled through a few screens.

"What's the matter, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked, glancing over Hiroki's shoulder when he saw the expression on his boyfriend's face.

"Professor Miyagi kept trying to contact me," he said, snapping his phone shut before Nowaki could get a good look at any of the text messages he had received from his superior. "I'll need to go into the university tomorrow because he's too goddamn lazy to do his own work."

It was Nowaki's turn to frown at that. Of course he had to go back to work that night, so it wasn't as if he would miss Hiroki any more than he usually did, but it seemed unfair that Hiroki would have to go into the university when it was so hot. "Didn't he know you were on vacation?"

"Of course he did," Hiroki said, rolling his eyes. He sighed and put his phone away, then picked up his travel bag. "Probably just didn't want to be in there. A lot of tours for the university go through during the summer and he'd probably get written up for smoking in our office." He just shook his head as he grabbed his copy of the keycard and proceeded through the door.

When they were out in the hall, though, Nowaki took a hold of him, wrapping his arms around Hiroki's shoulders from behind and nuzzling his face into the top of Hiroki's head.

Hiroki narrowed his eyes. "What is it now?"

"I'm going to miss spending so much time with you, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, smiling into Hiroki's hair.

Hiroki took a deep breath before saying, "One of these days you're going to get tired of me, you know."

Nowaki just wrapped his arms tighter around Hiroki's shoulders. "No. No I'm not."

All Hiroki could do was blush and stand there until Nowaki let him go, but the younger man took the opportunity to lace their fingers together as they headed down to the lobby to check-out.

**Sitting in a hotel in Boston, and the first thing I did when I finally got here was open my laptop and start this XD I am a devoted little fangirl.**


	159. The Truth About College Tours

The Truth About College Tours

Miyagi wasn't even in the office with Hiroki the next day, which was fine with him; if he had to be there, he would've preferred the quiet sound of the fan blowing and oscillating across the room to Miyagi's incessant chatter about this and that and everything that came to his mind. Or, he would've preferred the quiet, if it weren't for the fact that his prediction had been true: some tours were going through, and the fact that he kept his office door propped open for the sake of not roasting to death seemed to act as an invitation for the leaders of the tours to point him out.

"Ah, and here's Professor Kamijou, working diligently as always." It only sounded slightly sarcastic, and all Hiroki did was grunt in response, not taking his eyes from the essays he'd been grading. Leave it to Miyagi to have an essay due the last day before summer vacation and then not even bother grading them.

There was a large crashing sound, though, and Hiroki jumped and whirled around. The table fan, which had been set up on the file cabinet by the door, had been knocked to the floor. Hiroki scowled simply out of instinct, but when he looked up, there was a blushing Chihiro there trying to mumble out apologies as she kneeled down to put the fan back where it had been.

"…as I was saying," the tour guide said, stepping away from the office and eyeing Chihiro. "Professor Kamijou is part of the literature department, so you might see him if you take any literature classes. He usually teaches Intro to Japanese Lit, actually." Her voice faded as they continued down to other parts of the building.

Hiroki decided the best thing for him to do would be to go back to work.


	160. The Truth About Age

The Truth About Age

It was around lunch time when there came a knock on Hiroki's door. After the incident with Chihiro, he'd finally decided to just close it and brave the heat until he was done with the essays- or at least as done as he intended to be, since he did have his own work to do and he didn't plan to spend all of summer vacation covering Miyagi's ass.

Hiroki sighed and pushed his glasses up so he could wipe sweat off the bridge of his nose. Then there came a knock at the door, and thinking it was just one of his coworkers, he put his glasses back in place and said, "Come in."

"Um." There came a timid voice from the doorway, and Hiroki turned in his seat to see Chihiro standing there. When he simply turned back in his seat, she said, "I'm very sorry!"

"…for what?" Hiroki asked.

"Well you know," Chihiro said, averting her eyes. "For bothering you and, you know, thinking you were a college student when apparently you're the college _teacher_."

"Ah, right," Hiroki said, but after his initial turn to see Chihiro, he'd gone right back to the essays. He clearly had nothing to say on the matter and was just waiting for Chihiro to get on with the point or continue on her way.

Of course, what ended up happening was Chihiro stepped out of the way as Miyagi came through, dumping another stack of essays onto his desk and a very distraught-looking Shinobu on the couch.

Forgetting that Chihiro was right there, Hiroki said, "Professor, is there any reason you brought him along?"

"He gets lonely in that apartment all alone," Miyagi said, grinning and patting Shinobu on the head even as the younger man took out what appeared to be his summer homework. All this earned Miyagi was a scowl. "He won't make a sound, I promise."

"You two can fuck each other's brains out for all I care; I'm going home." Hiroki shook his head and slung his suitcase over his shoulder. And then he saw Chihiro still standing there in the doorway, and he ducked his head.

"Um, Kamijou-san, how old is that boy?" Chihiro asked, shadowing Hiroki.

"I have the right to not answer that."

"Oh?"

"Yes."

"Okay…"


	161. The Truth About Dinner Invitations

The Truth About Dinner Invitations

Ever since Miyagi and Shinobu had visited Miyagi's parents, Miyagi's mother had been sending them vegetables and such. They weren't always fresh, of course, but vegetables that were canned or pickled by hand still tasted fresher than the stuff Shinobu often got at the store. She often sent them so much that Shinobu didn't think he could use it all, but it helped that he was still in the habit of burning food when he was trying out a new recipe.

He was, however, getting better at it, and when Miyagi got back from the university one particularly hot summer day, the second thing he did was stare at the crates of vegetables. The first thing, of course, was turning on the air conditioner because Shinobu apparently had no concept of temperature.

"Shinobu, what are you doing?" he asked, because it was three in the afternoon and they didn't usually eat for several more hours.

"My mother called and they want to come over for dinner today. So I'm practicing." Shinobu stared intently as the vegetables cooked in their oil, and Miyagi was tempted to tell him to put on a pair of goggles if he was going to be conducting science experiments.

"…wait, did you say your parents are coming over?" Miyagi blinked rapidly as he reached for his cigarettes on one of the side tables.

"Yes."

"Exactly when did I say that was okay?"

Shinobu narrowed his eyes. "It's my apartment too, old man."

"You aren't even paying rent!"

"I don't see you complaining about the regular sex," Shinobu said, just managing to hide the blush at his own remark.

Miyagi sighed, but then his eyes went over to their bedroom. They hadn't even bothered giving the illusion that Shinobu had his own room, mostly because Shinobu had insisted it would be a waste of space since he wouldn't be using it. All Miyagi could do was resign himself and close the door so Shinobu's parents wouldn't go wandering in later.


	162. The Truth About Goals

The Truth About Goals

The only word Miyagi could think for the situation was "awkward." Shinobu had spent the entire afternoon practicing making vegetable stir fry, but Miyagi had managed to commandeer one of the stove's burners and make tea just in time for Shinobu's parents to arrive. While Shinobu's mother stood in the kitchen, tittering over what she perceived as her son's sudden culinary expertise, Miyagi and Shinobu's father sat in the living room.

"Ah, I feel bad that you felt like you had to take Shinobu in," Dean Takatsuki said, watching his wife and son. "Once that boy gets an idea in his head, though, he's not likely to let it go."

Miyagi rolled his eyes and said, "Believe me sir, I know."

"Oh?" Dean Takatsuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

Miyagi started coughing at that; he had said it without thinking. "Well his cooking, for instance. I'm always telling him I can cook for myself but he has some kind of fixation with doing it."

"I told you I'll cook for you and I will!" Shinobu yelled from the kitchen, much to the frowning dismay of his mother.

"Shinobu," his mother said. "You're going to school to become a lawyer, not someone's stay-at-home husband."

"Why can't I be both? Maybe I'll open a practice right in my home." Shinobu gave Miyagi a significant look at that which, fortunately for Miyagi, went right over the heads of his parents. "…and anyway, I don't plan on getting married."

"Well you're too young to understand how important it is," his mother said, patting him on the head as Shinobu went back to stirring their meal.

"Hmph. When I get my law degree maybe I'll become a politician and make gay marriage legal in Japan." He said it more to the stove than his mother, but his mother still looked startled and his father started laughing like it was a joke. "What? I'm serious."

"Well," his mother said vaguely as she stepped away from the stove, "I suppose we all have to have goals."


	163. The Truth About Suspicions

The Truth About Suspicions

"You know," Dean Takatsuki said after dinner, which had gone remarkably well considering Shinobu had cooked all of it. "When you and Risako were married, Miyagi, she was always complaining how you had all your books piled into the extra bedroom and there was no room for her own things." His eyes drifted to the room that still acted as Miyagi's office which, fortunately, Shinobu had thought to close.

"Well you know how it goes," Miyagi said, shrugging good naturedly as the two elder Takatsukis took their coats from the entrance and started putting on their shoes.

"Old habits die hard," Shinobu said, narrowing his eyes a little as he gave Miyagi a sidelong glance.

His mother frowned as she finished slipping on her shoes and said, "Don't tell me you have to sleep in there with all those books. That can't be safe."

"I manage," Shinobu said indifferently, still looking at Miyagi like everything he was saying had some kind of hidden meaning.

Finally, Shinobu's parents bowed and left through the door. Even when it closed, Miyagi held his breath. Probably thinking that they couldn't be heard anymore, Shinobu's mother said, "Dear, have you ever considered that Shinobu might be gay?"

"No, why would I?" At that point they were entering the elevator, though, and as soon as the doors closed on them and they couldn't hear each other, Miyagi let out the breath he'd been holding.

"You brat," Miyagi said, regarding a rather indifferent-looking Shinobu. "I was ready to have a heart attack any minute."

Shinobu looked interested at that. "Do you want me to make up for it?"

"No," Miyagi said, just looking tired at that point. "I'm going to take a shower."

Shinobu considered Miyagi's protests before deciding that the best course of action was to join him.


	164. Another Nurse's Truth

Another Nurse's Truth

There were some people, of course, who did not know Nowaki was a taken man. Particularly, there was one nurse who worked in geriatrics Nowaki often saw in the cafeteria at the same time as him even though his shift times were getting more erratic lately. He would smile and nod at her when she noticed him but still try to keep to himself, and she never actually tried to approach him.

He saw her outside of work one day, though, as he was standing outside of Pandasan, waiting to meet Hiroki.

"Kusama-sensei!" the woman said.

"Hello," Nowaki said, bowing but not quite remembering her name. "Are you headed somewhere?"

"Ha, I got roped into a group date," she said, looking regretful just at the thought.

Nowaki smiled but couldn't say he sympathized. "I'm sorry about that. Are they that bad?"

"You've never been on one?" The nurse raised her eyebrows in utter surprise. "If you were just having dinner by yourself, you're more than welcome to come. The more the merrier, after all."

"Well, I've never been on one because I've been with my partner since I was eighteen," Nowaki said with a kind smile. "I'm afraid I have no desire to cheat."

"Lucky girl," the nurse said, going from surprise to good-natured jealousy.

Nowaki had gotten distracted, though, because it had started raining. He'd brought an umbrella just in case, and he smiled his apology before opening it up and running for it. The nurse watched as Nowaki ran to Hiroki, who'd been holding his briefcase over his head in an attempt to stay dry. "Are you okay, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked as Hiroki scowled but kept up with Nowaki's pace so he could stay dry.

"It's not like I'll melt, Nowaki," Hiroki said, but he refrained from calling his boyfriend an idiot this time.

Nowaki smiled as he closed the umbrella when they reached the overhang, not noticing that the nurse was still there. He leaned down and gave Hiroki a brief kiss on the lips before saying, "I missed you, Hiro-san."

"We just saw each other this morning," Hiroki grumbled.

"I know." Nowaki held the door open for his boyfriend before going in himself. He, of course, didn't notice the nurse blushing bright red. The woman, however, was not to be pitied, as she was smiling as she opened her own umbrella and headed towards her group date.


	165. The Truth About Talent

The Truth About Talent

Shinobu was, admittedly, capable of a lot of things. If something interested him he'd research it. His interest in things often came and went, though, so that pretty much left him with knowledge about a lot of subjects and little to no interest in pursuing them further. He was reminded, however, of his brief interest in massage therapy when Miyagi came home one night moaning and groaning about pain.

"What the hell were you doing all day?" Shinobu asked from his place at the dining table. He'd been doing some of his summer reading and hadn't even started dinner yet.

"Ugh, I had to get into one of the storage spaces for the literature department to look for research material. The place was so cramped." He went to rub his neck, but he found Shinobu had come up behind the couch and batted his hand away. Miyagi stiffened as Shinobu's fingers went directly for the back base of his neck, but then he relaxed as Shinobu gently massaged the muscles. Gradually, his neck and upper back loosened and weren't quite as sore.

"Does it feel good?" Shinobu asked, sounding only slightly self conscious.

"Amazing, Shinobu-chin," Miyagi said, a lazy smile forming on his face as Shinobu continued working. "Somehow I didn't expect you to know how to do this kind of thing."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shinobu narrowed his eyes and dug his nails into Miyagi's neck, immediately causing the older man to tense up.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!"


	166. The Truth About Libraries

The Truth About Libraries

Nowaki got a pleasant sense of déjà vu when he looked into the M University library. Hiroki had told him he was meeting some of his thesis students there because apparently, there were students who weren't too afraid of Kamijou the Devil and were willing to ask for help over the summer. Hiroki himself was sitting at a table near the front, glasses perched on his nose as he read a book.

"Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked, making sure to be quiet when he saw the librarian at the circulation desk eying him.

"I thought I told you to wait at my office," Hiroki muttered, glancing around to his various students. None of them seemed to be paying attention to him right then, though.

Nowaki ducked his head, looking out the window and down the hall. He couldn't quite see the office Hiroki shared with Miyagi, but he knew it was there. "The door was locked."

"Of course it was," Hiroki said, rolling his eyes. "Why did I expect him to stay in there instead of run for it the minute I wasn't looking?" Then he closed his book. "I'm here for another hour so it'd probably be easier for you to just go home."

"I'm fine with waiting for you, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, looking around at all the shelves. "Besides, this place has good memories for both of us, wouldn't you say?"

Hiroki's face went completely red at that, and when one of the students said, "Professor Kamijou?" he whirled around to face them, looking significantly angrier than usual.

"What?" he asked.

The girl shrunk back, her eyes flitting between Nowaki and Hiroki before she said, "Um, one of the texts I found is in English and I was wondering if you knew if there was a Japanese version…"

"I'll go look for the damn thing myself," Hiroki said, and he tossed the book he'd been reading onto the table and stormed off, forgetting, in the process, to ask his student what book she was referring to.

When Hiroki had disappeared among the stacks, the girl turned to Nowaki and said, "You're his boyfriend, right?"

"Yes," Nowaki said without hesitation.

"Is he always like this?"

Nowaki smiled in an affectionate way before saying, "Most of the time."

The girl just looked at Nowaki like he was crazy before deciding to go after her professor so she could tell him what book she needed.


	167. The Truth About Crafts

The Truth About Crafts

Since it was summer, Hiroki felt less inclined to stay in his office all day with the work he had to do. The most dominant reason, of course, was because there was no air conditioning in there; only the simple table fan that barely got the air moving. When he went home one day, he was home alone for a few hours because Nowaki didn't get off his shift until the evening. Instead of doing his work, though, he ended up falling asleep on the couch.

When he woke up again, it was to the smell of dinner cooking. He glanced around, alarmed for some reason, and saw Nowaki standing in the kitchen, smiling to himself. That wasn't the strange, part, though; Nowaki was usually the one to cook, and the guy was always smiling for no apparent reason.

No, the strange part was that Hiroki was surrounded by homemade pinwheels. They were all made using colorful construction paper and wooden craft dowels. Some of them were simply set on the coffee table, but some were set to stand on surfaces using containers. Hiroki frowned at all the color assaulting his senses and got up, going into the kitchen. "What the hell is all that?" Hiroki asked, waving his hand in the direction of the living room.

Nowaki looked away from the stove, his eyes lighting up when he saw Hiroki was awake, then following Hiroki's hand. "Oh. The children made pinwheels today. I thought it looked fun so I helped and…" Nowaki shrugged sheepishly, because he really didn't need to explain further. "It does give the apartment more color." Then he leaned down and kissed Hiroki on the head with no warning before going back to cooking.

Hiroki scowled as he went back into the living room. His papers had been neatly piled and pushed to one side to make room for the pinwheels. Then he glanced over to Eri-chan's cage for about five seconds before taking her out. After that, he picked up one of the pinwheels and blew on it, right within Eri-chan's reach. The guinea pig proceeded to reach up and take a bite out of it.

"Hey!" Hiroki said, pulling the pinwheel away before she could eat anymore. Then he looked up to see Nowaki was watching them, amusement in his eyes, and he just scowled.


	168. The Truth About New Relationships

The Truth About New Relationships

Akihiko hadn't seen much of Hiroki in around a month, not since the admittedly awkward encounter involving the man who'd claimed Hiroki as his and slammed the door in Akihiko's face. Akihiko wasn't naïve; he knew of his best friend's activities, the men who went through the revolving door of Hiroki's love life. It was as if as soon as he moved out for college, Hiroki had given himself permission to let his sexuality become dominant.

Akihiko understood that Hiroki was busy, though; he had his thesis to write, after all, as well as applying for grad school. Akihiko was busy, too, with his books and his graduation procedures, even if graduating and entering T University's law school was pretty much inevitable. Given all this, Akihiko was surprised when Hiroki invited him over one day.

"I just want you to meet someone," Hiroki had said when he approached Akihiko on campus one day. "You can come over for dinner."

Who that someone could possibly be, Akihiko had no clue. But he had gone over with Hiroki to his apartment after both their classes ended and waited. Apparently, the someone Hiroki wanted Akihiko to meet had to work so Akihiko had ended up sitting in Hiroki's room, reading a book while Hiroki started dinner.

The door eventually opened, though, and a voice that Akihiko vaguely recognized sounded through the apartment. "Hiro-san!" it said, clearly happy to be seeing Hiroki.

Hiro-san was, of course, what that man who'd slammed the door on Akihiko had called Hiroki. Why he was still around a month later was anyone's guess.

"Would you stop it?" Hiroki asked, irritation clear in his voice. Akihiko arched an eyebrow and put away Hiroki's book before going out to investigate. All he remembered of this man was "Hiro-san is mine," which seemed like a rather possessive basis for a relationship.

When Akihiko got into the main room, though, the scene he was experiencing made him stop. The tall man was hugging Hiroki from behind as Hiroki worked at the stove, and while Hiroki blushed, the man said, "I told you you'd look cute in an apron, Hiro-san."

"I'm a grown man, I'm not cute," Hiroki protested, blushing all the while. The man leaned over and gave him a kiss on the lips, lingering just long enough to make even Akihiko uncomfortable, and that wasn't an easy task. When they pulled away, though, Hiroki finally noticed he was standing there.

"…oh," he said, his eyes going between the tall man and his best friend. "Um, Akihiko, this is Nowaki Kusama, my… boyfriend. Nowaki, you know Akihiko."

Nowaki had tightened his grip around Hiroki the moment he saw Akihiko, and the glare didn't cease when Akihiko bowed and muttered, "It's good to meet you."

Clearly, it was going to be an awkward meal.


	169. The Truth About Old Love

The Truth About Old Love

The rest of the evening went in a similar manner. Akihiko learned that Hiroki was acting as Nowaki's tutor, because he needed to take the high school equivalency exam. Akihiko had arched his eyebrows at that, questions forming in his head that he knew he couldn't ask with Nowaki there.

"I'll do the dishes, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, smiling warmly at his boyfriend as he took his plate. He gave Akihiko a significantly colder look but took his plate as well.

"Hiroki." Akihiko nodded towards the door and stood up. Hiroki had been anticipating it, in a way, so he just threw a glance over his shoulder at Nowaki before following his friend outside.

They didn't talk at first. Akihiko just leaned against the railing of the walkway in front of Hiroki's apartment, twirling an unlit cigarette between the fingers of his right hand. He had a lighter in his pocket, but he didn't feel like lighting-up right then.

"So what's the story?" Akihiko finally asked.

"Story?"

"You disappeared for a week, suddenly…" He waved his hand at the closed door. "…you have that."

"What, I need your approval for all my relationships?" Hiroki asked, doing less and less to hide the bitter tone in his voice.

"Of course not." Akihiko finally lit his cigarette. "I'm just surprised, is all. He doesn't seem like your type."

"And what exactly is my type, Akihiko?"

Akihiko considered this as he took a drag from his cigarette. "Educated guys. Good with words. Not quite so… affectionate."

"In other words, you." Hiroki took a twisted sort of satisfaction when Akihiko choked at that, cigarette smoke spewing from his mouth in a rather uncouth way. He didn't feel like continuing that line of thought, though. "If you're going to finish that thing, finish it outside. I'm not letting you smoke in my apartment anymore."

Hiroki went inside at that, and Akihiko just stood there, holding his cigarette between his fingers as a fuzzy but not completely crazy idea formed in his head. Of course, he'd never say it out loud. It would probably make him a hypocrite, after all, considering his current situation with Takahiro.

**This was supposed to be awkward dinner shenanigans at Cerberus Revised's suggestion, but it warped into this XD Hopefully still enjoyable? Ah well.**


	170. The Truth Written On Hiroki's Face

The Truth Written On Hiroki's Face

About a week later, Akihiko encountered Hiroki in the T University library. Hiroki was working diligently as always, surrounded by books written in an old dialect of Japanese, not looking the least bit confused as he took notes. Akihiko had gone to the library mostly to kill time as he hid from his editor, so he didn't feel the least bit guilty when he sat down and said, "Work, Hiroki?"

"Yes, Akihiko. Work. Ever heard of it?" He said it deadpan, not once looking up from the book he was taking notes on.

"Not spending time with that boyfriend of yours?"

"He's working, and I've told him to not visit me here without warning again."

"Again?"

This time Hiroki did look up at Akihiko, but he just narrowed his eyes and didn't dignify him with an answer. "What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you had a deadline."

"Can't I spend time with my best friend?"

"I'm guessing Takahiro was busy."

Akihiko frowned at that. He'd been stewing over what to say to Hiroki since his realization a week ago, but though Akihiko had an extensive vocabulary and a knack for stringing words together, saying 'I'm sorry' by no means came naturally to him. Somehow, though, he managed to take a deep breath and was about to say _something_, but then Hiroki's phone vibrated from its place beside him. Akihiko deflated and just watched as Hiroki read the in-coming text.

Hiroki proceeded to roll his eyes and shut his phone, but he had a not entirely hidden blush on his face. And then Akihiko's mind went from angst mode to idea mode. "Hiroki."

"What?" Hiroki asked, irritated, as he willed his blush to go away.

"Would you like to go out for drinks tonight?"

Hiroki looked like he was dying to accept the invitation, but he managed to scoff and go back to his text. "We'll see."

**And thus begins the tradition of Akihiko getting Hiroki drunk so he can have material for his Junai Egoist novels XD**


	171. The Truth About Parents

The Truth About Parents

Shinobu was not happy. At the beginning of August, his parents had suddenly decided that he should stay with them for a few days. Or rather, his mother had decided that he should stay with them for a few days; his father had nothing to do with the decision. She had said something about how having dinner with him and Miyagi had made her realize that they didn't spend much time together anymore.

"I have better things to do than sit around their house all day pretending I'm having fun!" Shinobu was pouting, but he was doing so as he packed enough clothes to last his visit. He was a bit passive-aggressive like that, Miyagi had come to learn.

"As opposed to what, sitting around _here_ all day? I still work during the summer, Shinobu, and you don't even have a part-time job," Miyagi said, leaning against the doorframe of their bedroom and watching his younger boyfriend.

"My parents are the ones who said I should focus on my studies," Shinobu muttered to his duffle bag full of clothes. He then looked up and just glanced all around the bedroom. It was amazingly clean, though that may have been because in a fit of boredom the previous week, Shinobu had dragged all the books Miyagi had left in their bedroom back into his study and organized them. He'd finished his homework, Miyagi had been at the university, and it was way too hot to go outside, so it wasn't like he had anything better to do at the time.

Miyagi sighed and walked over, trapping Shinobu in a hug and resting his chin on top of Shinobu's head. "Parents usually only do what they think is best for their child, Shinobu-chin. Cut them some slack."

Shinobu sighed and finally relaxed into Miyagi's hug, but he still had a petulant look on his face. "Fine. But don't expect me to have fun."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Shinobu-chin."


	172. The Truth About Talking With Parents

The Truth About Talking With Parents

Shinobu was thankful that at least his sister wasn't visiting for the few days he'd be there. She of course knew about his relationship with Miyagi, and knowing her, she'd probably slip up and say something about it the minute his mother asked him if he was seeing anyone. The questions did inevitably come, though, as Shinobu sat there on the counter while his mother made dinner. She'd expected him to insist he'd do it himself, but he'd given up on that idea surprisingly easily.

"Shinobu," his mother said, considering the high-end oven before her rather than her son. "You know you can tell us if there's anything big going on in your life."

There was a silence that stretched out for what had to be several seconds as Shinobu just sat there on the cupboard, staring at his mother like she had just told him he was adopted from a UFO that had crash-landed in their backyard nineteen years ago. "I'm not a little kid. I don't need my parents' help with everything."

His mother sighed. "Clearly. You don't even need that money for rent anymore." She stared up at the ceiling for a long time. Then she blinked and said, "What made you move in with Miyagi, anyway?"

"His apartment was bigger," Shinobu said simply.

"You never stopped to consider it might be awkward, if he wanted to bring someone over?" his mother asked, arching her eyebrows.

Shinobu snorted. "Like that would happen."

His mother's eyebrows went right up to her hairline at that, and she just watched her son as he got down from the counter and headed up to his room. He clearly didn't feel up to continuing that conversation.


	173. The Truth About A Mother's Worries

The Truth About A Mother's Worries

Shinobu's first night staying with his parents, he had a feeling that he had dreamed but he didn't remember a thing about it. He hadn't woken up in that state in a long time, and it kind of pissed him off as he trudged down to the kitchen, where breakfast was already on the table. His father had left for the university already, so it was just him and his mother. She said something about Risako visiting for lunch, and Shinobu made a note to escape during that time. He'd at least been thinking about being nicer to his sister, since Miyagi seemed so insistent on it, but he still wasn't ready for that kind of civility.

"Shinobu," his mother finally said after they sat together at the table in silence for about ten minutes. "I realize you admire Miyagi, but I hope you're not causing him too much trouble."

"He causes me more trouble than I cause him," Shinobu muttered around a piece of toast.

His mother frowned at that, considering her words as she stared down at the cup of coffee before her. It was still hot, and the steam rose up into her face as she thought. "Perhaps you wouldn't have to spend so much time with him if you participated in clubs at your college. Surely there are people your age you could get to know."

"What's wrong with spending time with Miyagi?" Shinobu had finished his breakfast in record time and was ready to go out the door. He stopped, though, when his mother gently took his wrist.

"I just don't want you to get hurt, Shinobu," she said, her tone laced with worry. "He's almost twenty years older than you."

Shinobu had been ready with a biting remark, but suddenly he just deflated, not willing to fight the matter. And per Miyagi's warnings, he wasn't going to tell his mother that they were already in a relationship. "I'm going for a walk. I probably won't be back for lunch."


	174. The Truth About Hiding Out

The Truth About Hiding Out

Shinobu ended up at M University, lurking around Miyagi's office while his boyfriend did work. Hiroki wasn't around; Miyagi had said something about a study session with his thesis students in the library. Not that Shinobu particularly cared where Hiroki was, as long as he wasn't there. He had to admit that he had a little less hate for Hiroki since meeting that tall man Miyagi had said was his boyfriend, but there was still a twitch to his eye whenever they had to be in the same room.

Miyagi had once, mostly in a joking manner, suggested that he was just jealous that Hiroki got to spend all day with Miyagi. He didn't get sex that night.

Shinobu sighed as he laid across the couch, looking utterly bored. The sigh didn't escape Miyagi's attention, and he turned his head but kept typing away on his computer. "If you're so bored, Shinobu-chin, go out and do something else."

Shinobu scowled and buried his face in the cushions, hoping they'd muffle what he was about to say. "I missed you last night."

"What was that, Shinobu?" Miyagi had turned back to his computer.

"I didn't sleep that well last night," Shinobu said instead of repeating himself. "And my mother keeps bugging me about something or other so I just don't want to be there." He'd still had his head buried in the cushions, so he was surprised when he felt a hand on his head, ruffling his hair. "What do you want, old man?"

"Would you like to go home, Shinobu-chin?" he asked. It was only then that he noticed Miyagi had his suitcase in the hand he wasn't using to run his fingers through Shinobu's hair. "Unless your parents are expecting you."

"I told my mother I wouldn't be back for lunch," Shinobu said, looking only a little reluctant to follow Miyagi's suggestion.

"Come on, then. I can work at home."

Shinobu narrowed his eyes as he followed Miyagi out of the office and the older man locked the door. He severely doubted Miyagi would be getting any work done.


	175. The Truth About Being Responsible

The Truth About Being Responsible

Shinobu had ended up falling asleep in his and Miyagi's bed, and it was evening when his phone woke him up, ringing shrilly where he had dropped it on the floor with his clothes. He opened it without even looking at the display. "Hello?"

"Shinobu, where are you?" It was his mother's voice. Shinobu hadn't actually been aware of the time, but he squinted at the alarm clock only to see it was almost six. "I know you said you wouldn't be back for lunch but your father will be home soon and we'd like you here for dinner."

"Why, so you can ask me more questions about my personal life?" Shinobu snapped, irritated, as he gathered his clothes. There were light tapping sounds coming from Miyagi's study, so it seemed he had kept to his word and was doing his work at home. There was silence on the other end, and even Shinobu could tell his words had upset his mother. "I'm home right now. I'll be back soon."

They said goodbye to each other, and after Shinobu had put his clothes back on, he wandered into Miyagi's study. The older man was sitting at his computer, a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he typed away. He was so concentrated he didn't even notice Shinobu was awake until he was right behind his seat, draping his arms around his shoulders. He didn't act surprised, though, instead saying, "Something wrong, Shinobu?"

"I'm going back to my parents' house for now."

"Need me to bring you over?"

Shinobu shook his head and pulled his arms away from Miyagi. "My mother already suspects me. I'll just go over myself."

Miyagi couldn't help but smile at that, taking his cigarette out of his mouth. It was only then that Shinobu realized it wasn't even lit. "How responsible of you, Shinobu-chin."

He earned a smack to the shoulder and a, "Shut up, old man!" for his efforts.


	176. The Truth While Drinking

The Truth While Drinking

That night, Miyagi invited Hiroki out for a drink or twelve, since they were both apparently going home to empty beds. Even before the alcohol started taking effect Miyagi was complaining about how cold he was now that he was used to someone else being there with him, and all Hiroki could do was roll his eyes and nurse the same beer for three hours until it was flat and warm.

"Of course I can't do anything about it," Miyagi said, sighing and leaning back in their booth. He had a flush to his face that made it obvious they'd both be catching a taxi back to their apartments when the night was over. "Shinobu has an obligation to his family." Suddenly, he looked up. "Say, what do your parents think of that boyfriend of yours?"

Hiroki rolled his eyes for the millionth time that night and said, "They love him. My mother's always going on about me managing to 'snag a doctor' like I'm her daughter instead of her son."

"Doctor?" It might have just been the alcohol, but Miyagi was incredibly confused.

"…yes, Professor, Nowaki is a pediatrician at the hospital. He gets scheduled for evenings and nights a lot. Why else would I spend time with your sorry ass?" Hiroki took a gulp of his beer, only to pull a disgusted face and push the glass aside.

"Because you love me?"

"No. I respect you for your position in the department, and I detest you for throwing all your work on me."

"That hurts, Kamijou," Miyagi huffed, and he downed the last of his drink at once.

"The truth hurts, professor."

**Ugh wasn't even going to update today because I've had so much work in my classes lately but I love you all too much. Yes, you, that silent reviewer who I'd love to hear from, I still love you as well :D**


	177. The Truth About Inattentive Parents

The Truth About Inattentive Parents

When Shinobu got back to his parents' place, Risako was still there, helping their mother with dinner. The smells were wafting all around the first level of the house and Shinobu's stomach decided to turn traitorous and growled. He hadn't had lunch, after all; Miyagi had brought him home and they'd ended up having sex, after which he passed out and slept until his mother called and summoned him back.

As he slipped off his shoes, though, his father approached him before his mother even saw him. "Shinobu, I think we need to have a chat."

Shinobu's eyes drifted to his mother, who had seen him at that point and just gave him a smile before she went back to the final meal preparations. Risako seemed to be pointedly ignoring him, which was just fine with Shinobu.

"Shinobu, your mother had a chat with me earlier, and apparently she's concerned," Shinobu's father said, looking vaguely uncomfortable. "She told me you have interest in someone right now and, while your mother wouldn't say who, the things she said gave me an idea…"

Shinobu just sat on the couch, not bothering to say anything. If he was directly confronted about his feelings for Miyagi he wouldn't deny them.

"Shinobu, do you like Professor Kamijou?"

Shinobu could practically feel the ellipses going through his mind at that statement. He just stared at his father, who had such an earnest look on his face that it made Shinobu feel guilty. Still, he said, "No. I can't stand him."

His father didn't look convinced, but at that point, Risako called them into the dining room and the issue was dropped.

**A long time ago (or you know, a few months) someone mentioned I should do a drabble collection like this for Sekaiichi Hatsukoi. I've thought about doing it now, but I thought I'd ask here and see how many people would want to read an SiH equivalent of this story :D**


	178. The Truth About Confusion

The Truth About Confusion

Shinobu had gone back home the day after, saying he had homework to do and that being with his parents distracted him. While his father was dense, even he knew that Shinobu would've finished his work as soon as possible simply so he wouldn't have to do it later. He did enjoy having his son around even if the visit had ended up being rather awkward.

In fact, that awkwardness was why he was heading over to Miyagi and Hiroki's office. Shinobu had adamantly denied having any kind of feelings for Hiroki, but somehow his father didn't believe him. He stopped at the open door, just staring in. Hiroki was the only in there at the time, and Dean Takatsuki thanked his luck, not even bothering to think why Miyagi might not be with his underling.

"Professor Kamijou? May I have a word with you?" he asked without actually getting Hiroki's attention first. Hiroki looked surprised but he nodded, and Dean Takatsuki stepped in. "I talked with my son last night, and he denies this but… do you think he, you know, has a crush on you?"

Hiroki's reaction to the thought that Shinobu had feelings was a bit different than Shinobu's was. Instead of ellipses, it was more like a record scratching in his head, and the face he pulled at the thought alarmed Dean Takatsuki.

"With all due respect, sir, your son would probably attempt to murder me if he thought he could get away with it." Then Hiroki turned back to his work and that was that. Dean Takatsuki left the office in a rather interesting state of confusion.


	179. The Truth About Begging

The Truth About Begging

"Hiro-san!" Nowaki looked especially happy as he came bounding into Hiroki's office. The office was mostly just for show and to store Hiroki's books, considering most of the time he worked out in the living room. Nowaki had been hopping around the front room like a child given one too many cookies, and he'd finally gotten fed up with it and gone in there to do some work. The mild glare he gave his boyfriend didn't deter him at all. "There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight! Can we go to the park and watch it?"

"I have way too much work to do something so frivolous," Hiroki said, adjusting his glasses and looking away before he could see Nowaki inevitably deflate. He didn't expect Nowaki to immediately leave the room, only to come back with Eri-chan in his arms. "What the hell."

"Tell him," Nowaki said, putting Eri-chan on Hiroki's lap. Hiroki closed his book and stared at the guinea pig, who stared right back.

"Why did you bring your guinea pig in here, Nowaki?"

"You listen to her better than me." Nowaki frowned when it didn't look like Eri-chan's stare was going to convince him. "Please, Hiro-san? You won't watch fireworks with me, and meteor showers don't happen that often."

Hiroki tried to ignore Nowaki's pleading stare and go back to his work, but his boyfriend just stayed there until he finally sighed and said, "What time is it supposed to start?"

"Nine o'clock!"

"We can go if you leave me the hell alone and let me get the last of my grading done." Hiroki was suddenly enveloped in a hug and his eyes went wide as he had to grab Eri-chan to stop her from rolling out of his lap as he practically fell out of his desk chair himself. "Would you not _do that_?"


	180. The Truth About Pleading

The Truth About Pleading

When Hiroki had agreed to go to the park and watch the meteor shower, he hadn't even entertained the notion that there'd be a lot of people there. It was mostly families, their children running around and asking why the meteor shower hadn't started yet. Hiroki felt nervous seeing all the people, knowing Nowaki had planned to be lovey-dovey with him. Hiroki would never admit it, but he had kind of been looking forward to it.

"Hiro-san, look," Nowaki whispered, pointing to the sky. It had gotten dark and lights were starting to streak through above them. Without even thinking, Nowaki pulled Hiroki to him. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah." No one was paying attention to them, and Hiroki managed to relax into Nowaki's arms and watch the show.

"Hiro-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Could we go to a festival before summer is over?"

Hiroki tensed and pulled away. "I've told you before, I don't want to do sentimental crap like that."

Nowaki frowned at that, and he went to sit on a vacant patch of grass. He was moping, it was quite clear, and Hiroki hated it. Nowaki hardly ever moped.

"Why is all this so important to you, anyway?" Hiroki asked, going to sit beside his boyfriend.

"I want to spend time with you, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, but he was back to staring at the sky. The meteor shower was full blast now, with several streaking across the sky at once. "Not just sitting in our apartment or going to Pandasan, but actually doing things."

"We _have_ done things. We just went on vacation." Hiroki scowled and laid down on the grass. He didn't, however, protest when Nowaki laid down with him and curled into his side, laying his head on Hiroki's chest. At that point, neither of them were really watching the shooting stars.

"No amount of time with you could ever be too much, Hiro-san."

"You'll regret those words someday."

"Nope."


	181. The Truth About New Places

The Truth About New Places

Hiroki and Nowaki ended up going to a small, all-night coffee shop instead of heading home once the meteor shower was over. Hiroki had used the excuse that he had spent all day inside and didn't see the point in hurrying home. Nowaki couldn't help but notice that Hiroki didn't pull away when he took his hand, though.

"I don't think we've been in here before, Hiro-san," Nowaki said. The waitress approached them with their drinks and set them down, and Nowaki gave her a gentle smile before picking his up. The waitress walked away seemingly normal, but Hiroki couldn't help but notice a goofy grin on her face. Nowaki didn't seem to notice, though. "It's nice."

"If you say so," Hiroki said, rolling his eyes but not arguing about that particular point. He'd never admit it, but he'd been hoping to sit beside Nowaki in a booth. The only booths open were two small for two people to sit on one side, though, so they'd been relegated to sitting across from each other.

"Excuse me!" The waitress who'd brought their drinks was at the table now, and her eyes were on Hiroki. "Uh, my friend and I were wondering if you wanted to go out for drinks. Our shifts end in half an hour."

Hiroki looked somewhat shocked at that, and he even turned to Nowaki. Nowaki, of course, just looked amused. "No," he finally managed to say.

"Oh. Well, maybe another time? I can give you my phone number."

"No." It was a simple answer that seemed to confuse the woman, but Hiroki wouldn't elaborate. He just brought the cup to his lips and started drinking, ignoring the woman as she deflated.

"Hiro-san tends to talk a lot when he's drunk, so he doesn't like drinking in public," Nowaki said, as if he thought that was the reason his boyfriend turned down the invitation.

"I do not!" Hiroki protested.

"Would you like me to tell her what else you do when you're drunk, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked, that warm smile on his face but a mischievous glint to his eye.

Hiroki clammed up, a blush on his cheeks. "As if they need to know about our sex life," he muttered to himself, but it was more than loud enough for the waitress to hear.

Said waitress was more than happy to go into the back and tell her coworkers about her incredibly adorable (and perhaps sexy?) discovery.


	182. The Truth About Technology

The Truth About Technology

Hiroki's laptop was in for repair, and he didn't look happy as he stared at the computer the university had given him to use in the meantime. It was a lot more modern, for one, and the touch screen capabilities were keeping Miyagi amused more than him. Of course, it was Miyagi's fault in the first place; in one of his moments of affection, he'd slide over to Hiroki's desk to hug him and spilled his open bottle of water, short-circuiting the keyboard.

At least he'd agreed to pay for the repairs.

When Hiroki walked back into the office after his lunch break, he found Miyagi amusing himself by using the touch screen to click on all the links he could from an online encyclopedia. Hiroki had a feeling that if he searched through the history of his temporary computer, he wouldn't be able to find what he himself had last done. "Professor, what are you doing?"

"Welcome back, Kamijou-sensei!" Miyagi grinned and went back to his own desk like he hadn't just been violating Hiroki's personal space. Given, Hiroki hadn't been there at the time, but it was the principle of the thing. "I was just marveling over how far technology has come. I might have to get something like this when it comes time to replace my own computer."

Hiroki sat down in his seat, glaring at the obvious smudge marks from Miyagi's hands. Then, in a moment of clarity he hadn't experienced in a long time, he said, "I'm pretty sure your boyfriend would get jealous that you were touching something else more than him."

Miyagi just gaped at Hiroki, not used to that kind of humor from him. Hiroki, of course, ignored him.

**My college's computer lab has touch screen PCs. I usually use the Macs because they load up faster, but when I found out my mindset was basically, "HNGH TOUCH SCREEN." I'm easy to please XD**


	183. The Truth About Distractions

The Truth About Distractions

The final day of summer vacation before classes started back up again, Hiroki decided to bring Nowaki to a pool. And yes, you read that right: it was not Nowaki who asked Hiroki to bring him, but Hiroki who suggested they go. Nowaki had purposefully requested his schedule so he would have the last day of summer and the first day of Hiroki's classes off. Hiroki didn't complain the entire time, and, near the end of the day, Nowaki got up the courage to ask something he'd been meaning to for about a week.

"Hiro-san, my internship is ending next month," Nowaki said as Hiroki handed him an ice cream. "I was accepted into the hospital, you know, and some of the doctors want to take me out to celebrate. And they said I should bring you."

Hiroki eyed him like he had just said something completely outrageous. "They've obviously never met me."

"Well, no Hiro-san," Nowaki admitted, staring down at the vanilla soft serve. "They want to meet you after how much I've talked about you."

Hiroki just shook his head and sat down in the chair beside his boyfriend. "Have I ever told you how much it irritates me that you feel the need to tell everyone you know about me?"

"But Hiro-san, you're the most important part of my life," Nowaki said, still gazing at his ice cream. "They ask what I've been up to lately, and of course your name comes up."

"You're not going to leave me alone about it, are you?" Hiroki asked huffily as he disregarded his own ice cream. It was starting to melt around his hand, and Nowaki couldn't help but watch it. When Nowaki didn't answer, Hiroki said, "What?"

"Nothing, Hiro-san. And if you're busy, of course I wouldn't make you come with us." Nowaki tore his eyes away from Hiroki's increasingly sticky hand and went back to eating his own ice cream.

**So for those who haven't checked yet, I did make that Sekaiichi Hatsukoi drabble collection :D It's called Actions Speak Louder Than Words. So check that out, along with my other running SiH fic Morning Sun. Morning Sun will have smut, and the more feedback I get, the more enthusiastic I'll be about getting chapters out, making it one step closer to that smut. Win-win!**


	184. The Truth About New Students

The Truth About New Students

Hiroki could honestly say he hated that he was stuck with intro classes every semester, but Miyagi wouldn't teach them and someone had to. It was just his luck, however, that the first class he had after vacation would be one of his intro classes, full of mostly freshmen. They learned to fear Kamijou the Devil by the end of it.

"You really need to be nicer to your students, Kamijou-sensei," Miyagi said with a grin as Hiroki entered their office. Hiroki just glared at him and sat down, leaving the office door open. It was technically his office hours. He was hoping to God that none of his students were brave enough to go in, though. "Well, I have to get to a class. Have fun, Kamijou-sensei." He grinned again and patted Hiroki on the head, and Hiroki just glared at him as he walked down the hall.

Hiroki glanced around the hall once Miyagi had turned a corner. There were quite a few students and professors walking to or from classes, but no one he recognized from his previous class. He was about to close the door when someone put their foot in, stopping it.

"Excuse me, I got the time for the class wrong and…" The girl stopped at that when she saw Hiroki. Hiroki just blinked; the girl seemed to recognize him, and her eyes went wide, but Hiroki couldn't say he did. "Oh I know you. You came into the café I work at the other day." She glanced around. "…you're the professor for Intro To Japanese Literature?"

"…yes," Hiroki said, getting a sudden flashback of the waitress who'd asked him out for drinks. "If you need the syllabus I have some copies, but I'm not going to be this lenient the rest of the term."

The girl blushed, and when Hiroki presented the papers to her, she snatched them and ran away. Hiroki sighed, thankful that Miyagi had left before she showed up. He was never going to live this down.


	185. The Truth About Being Cold

The Truth About Being Cold

It was raining when Nowaki got back home from the hospital late one night. The sky had been gray all day, but Nowaki hadn't thought to bring an umbrella, so when he stepped into the apartment, he was soaking wet. His bangs, which needed a trim, hung in his eyes heavier than usual, giving him an even scruffier appearance, and his whole body shivered. Hiroki hadn't gotten stuck out in the rain like his partner, so he didn't even think to turn on the heat.

"Hiro-san, I'm home," Nowaki called once he'd gotten his sopping-wet street shoes off. He proceeded to remove his socks as well, just so he wouldn't trail water in and get Hiroki muttering about having to mop it.

"Welcome home," Hiroki muttered from where he was stationed at the dining room table. He'd gotten his laptop back from the repair shop and was currently furrowing his eyebrows as he stared at it, as if the new keyboard made the whole thing completely foreign to him. It was kind of cute, Nowaki couldn't help but think.

Nowaki walked over and wrapped his arms around Hiroki's neck, leaning in for a hug. Hiroki immediately jumped in surprise and reared around to look at him, his eyes wide. "What's the matter?"

"You're fucking _freezing_," Hiroki hissed, pushing Nowaki's arms away from him.

"Oh," Nowaki said. "I got caught in the rain. I'm sorry, Hiro-san."

"Just- go take a bath and warm up," Hiroki said, averting his eyes as he went back to his work.

A smile came across Nowaki's face, and he said, "You aren't cold as well, Hiro-san?"

Hiroki blushed, but his fingers, furiously typing previously, stopped mid-keystroke. "…maybe a little." He glanced over to the window, where raindrops could be seen trailing down the glass and soaking the two lawn chairs they kept out on the balcony. He was suddenly reminded of that day, about a year ago, when that horrible misunderstanding had almost cost them each other.

Then he felt Nowaki's arms around his shoulders again and his boyfriend said, "Would you like to join me, Hiro-san?"

"Yeah."


	186. The Truth About Being Loud

The Truth About Being Loud

The night of Nowaki's celebration for the end of his internship, Hiroki had said he'd be home by six and that he better not dare to even think about going to pick him up. Nowaki had, of course, been thinking of doing exactly that, but when Hiroki said that, he just smiled and said that was fine. There were a lot of things he could do on his own, after all, even if they'd be more fun with Hiroki around. Hiroki had just scowled and told him to shut up before slipping on his shoes and leaving.

Nowaki had ended up inviting Mai Sato over for tea when he heard her coming in from work, Michi in her arms. Mai grabbed some pillows from the couch and sat Michi beside Eri-chan's cage so they could watch each other while she and Nowaki talked.

"It's kind of cool that you're a full-fledged doctor now," Mai said with a grin as she picked up her cup. "Have you and Kamijou-san already celebrated?"

"Hiro-san and I are going out with some coworkers tonight," Nowaki said, his gentle eyes on Michi as she stuck her finger in the cage and Eri-chan sniffed it.

"You actually got him to agree to that?" Mai's eyebrows were raised in surprise, and Nowaki couldn't say he blamed her. "The last time you two went out, I could hear the argument out in the hall."

Nowaki just smiled and, raising his own mug of tea to his lips, said, "Hiro-san can be an incredibly agreeable man once you know what to say." And when to say it, Nowaki added in his mind. Mai could apparently read his mind, though, because she cleared her throat in an awkward way, which got Nowaki's attention.

Nowaki had expected her to change the subject, so he almost did a spit-take when Mai said, "God, if my sex life was half as active as yours Michi would've had a little brother or sister on the way by now."

"Um…" Nowaki wasn't sure what to say to that, having never thought about the fact that their neighbors could probably hear them in their more passionate moments. So, he just continued drinking, letting Mai complain about what she wanted.


	187. The Truth About Being Cute

The Truth About Being Cute

Nowaki was, of course, having a grand old time with his coworkers. Hiroki, not so much. It wasn't the fact that more people than Hiroki was comfortable with had been shocked that he was a man, and it wasn't the fact that they were out at all. It was the fact that Nowaki had started bragging about Hiroki when it was Nowaki's night to shine. Nowaki was always so proud of his boyfriend, and of course, every now and then, that complex he had about being "worthy" of him came up.

"You're less cute than Kusama gave you credit for."

Hiroki growled in the back of his throat and turned to see one of Nowaki's male coworkers. He was beginning to think that all male doctors at Mitsuhashi took asshole lessons from the same place as Tsumori. Speaking of Nowaki's valued senpai, Tsumori was over there with Nowaki, a half-empty wine glass in one hand and a warm smile on his face. Oh how looks could deceive. Hiroki had wandered off to the bar but had refrained from ordering anything lest he drink too much and start babbling like Akihiko always accused him of.

"I'm twenty-nine years old, I'm not supposed to be cute," Hiroki said, putting his elbow on the counter and leaning his head on his palm. He was doing his best to look bored.

"That's not what Kusama said."

"And what did Nowaki say about me?"

The man sat on the stool beside him, ordered a drink, then said, "He goes on and on about his 'cute Hiro-san.' How you'll have dinner ready for him in the evening and you always stay up for him if he's working late." He got his beer and took a drink before saying, "Oh, and the nurses' favorite story is the time you gave him Valentine's chocolate and then hid out in the bathroom because he came home before you could escape."

Hiroki looked over to Nowaki, who was at the moment distracted by someone else so didn't see him. "I am really and truly going to kill that man."


	188. The Truth About Being Honest

The Truth About Being Honest

It was the end of the night when Nowaki finally found Hiroki again. Nowaki hadn't drunk once but Hiroki had given-in and had just a little bit of wine. What Hiroki called a little bit of wine and what normal people called a little bit of wine were two completely different concepts, however. Fortunately for Hiroki, he had bypassed the babbling stage of his drunkenness and went straight for sleepy.

"Hiro-san, we should probably get home," Nowaki said, putting a hand on Hiroki's shoulder where the older man was slumped over the bar, snoring lightly. He jumped in surprise when he felt Nowaki's touch, though, and Nowaki just smiled and helped him stand.

"I vowed to kill you, you know," Hiroki muttered, leaning against Nowaki's side for support.

"Why would you want to do that, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked mildly. He was used to this kind of thing by now.

"Because you're always going on to those people about how cute I am." Hiroki 'oofed' as he was put into the cab Nowaki had called. Nowaki had put him in gently but there was only so much you could do to prevent Hiroki from hurting himself when he was in that state. He silenced himself long enough for Nowaki to go to the other side of the vehicle and get in himself. "I'm not cute and I'm not sweet and when we get home I'm strangling you with those stupid baby chicken towels you insist on using when we take baths together."

Nowaki just smiled and told the driver where to go. The driver wasn't even paying attention, it seemed. He'd probably seen weirder scenes than half of a gay couple being incredibly, honestly drunk.

They rode for a few blocks before Hiroki added, in a quieter voice, "I really am proud of you, Nowaki. I know how hard you worked, getting this far." When he noticed Nowaki was staring at him, he added, "I'm just saying!" and then he turned to lay his head against the window. He flinched when Nowaki ran a hand through his hair.

He blushed hard when Nowaki leaned in to his ear and said, "Would you like to use those towels tonight, Hiro-san?"

"Is everything an invitation to you, you pervert?"


	189. The Truth About Having Fun

The Truth About Having Fun

There were a lot of rumors that followed Isaka around Marukawa, but he'd learned to just brush them off when he was younger. He was the son of the CEO, after all, and it wouldn't due to make a scene every time he passed by someone whispering to a companion and giving him quick glances. Asahina took a decidedly less laid-back approach to it.

"If you conducted yourself in a more professional manner, they'd have less reason to start rumors about you, Ryuuichirou-sama," he said one day when they left an elevator of women who'd started giggling as soon as they saw them.

"But it's so much more fun this way!" Isaka said.

"Perhaps for you, but I'm the one who has to clean up the mess whenever you go too far," he said, and he didn't specifically add 'like with Usami-sensei' but it was implied and Isaka knew it.

Before Asahina could say any more, though, Isaka grinned widely and pulled him around the corner and kissed him full on the lips, not even bothering to make sure they didn't have witnesses. "You'd have more fun if you were less uptight, Kaoru."

Asahina just narrowed his eyes and pointed to where they were: Sapphire, Marukawa's BL department. The editors had glanced out the doorway when they heard their superior, and now they were actively staring like they'd just won the lottery.

"See? Fun!" Isaka said, smiling and ambling into the office. Asahina looked doubtful.

**My first actual Mistake drabble, simply because they got their own episode in Sekaiichi Hatsukoi XD But they'll always be Junjo at heart *pets them*.**


	190. The Truth About Aging

The Truth About Aging

Hiroki's thirtieth birthday was not something he relished. It wasn't as if he had some kind of complex about getting older, but there was just something about thirty that made him stop and look at where he was in life. It wasn't too bad, he had to admit: steady, if sometimes frustrating, job, his own place and, of course, a loving partner.

A loving partner who was willing to spend the first of his days off sitting there in his office with him because it was the Friday before they were supposed to visit Hiroki's parents and though Nowaki wouldn't admit it, Hiroki was currently prone to running off and hiding. Miyagi was away for a long weekend for some reason he hadn't adequately explained, and so Nowaki had spent the time reclined on the couch, his long legs hanging off the end and studying one of Hiroki's many books intently.

It was just Hiroki's luck, of course, that students would decide to visit him during his office hours that day. They seemed to file through one after another. Their questions were relevant and answerable, but Hiroki would catch them staring at the tall man laying on their professor's couch.

"You can go home, you know," Hiroki muttered once one of his students had left. His office hours ended in ten minutes and after that he planned to just pack-up and leave.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Hiro-san," Nowaki said with a smile. He had finished the book and now just held it in his hands, considering the cover. "Your mother specifically told me to keep my eye on you. She said you haven't visited for your birthday in years."

"Because she still treats me like this! I do not need a babysitter!" Hiroki huffed, and in his anger, he slammed the door shut and went back to his computer. He found himself melting back in his seat as warm arms wrapped around him. "I'm turning thirty in two days. I don't need to deal with this crap." His eyes opened when he felt Nowaki's arms leave him, but then he heard the distinct click of the door's lock.

Then Nowaki spun his chair around and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Nowaki, I don't need this now!" Hiroki protested, pushing his boyfriend away. "Besides, I've caught Miyagi and his brat in here more than once and just the thought makes me want to puke."

"Then perhaps we should put some good memories into this room, Hiro-san," Nowaki said with a sly grin. Hiroki blushed but didn't push him away a second time.

**An arc for Lazy Kitty Hyuu, whose birthday is coming up in a couple weeks. So, happy birthday, darling! And to answer nili self's question, I realize I haven't been updating as much lately XD I've been focusing on my longer stories plus being buried in schoolwork. No need to worry! Everything's fine.**


	191. The Truth About Grandparents

The Truth About Grandparents

Hiroki's mother did everything on purpose, he'd come to find out over the years. Whether that was recruiting his boyfriend to keep an eye on him so he wouldn't escape when he was supposed to be visiting, or, apparently, not letting his grandparents know that he had been in a relationship with a man for years. His relatives on the Kamijou side of the family hadn't been there for his mother's birthday, of course, so they were still out of the loop.

"So what exactly did you tell them, Mother?" Hiroki asked. His father would be back Sunday for his birthday, but until then, it was just them and the Kamijou grandparents who would be staying.

"I told them exactly what they needed to know: that you're in a loving relationship with a wonderful person and that you're happy," his mother said. Nowaki had been helping her make dinner, and he couldn't help but smile at that.

There were no boundaries when it came to the elder Kamijou's access to the estate, and so Hiroki jumped in surprise when his grandparents appeared, waving off the two maids the family employed as unneeded. The women were used to it by now, probably.

"Hiroki, take your grandmother's bags," his mother said, nudging him in the side with his elbow.

"Why can't Grandfather do it?"

"He's an old man! He can barely carry his own things!"

Hiroki huffed but took his grandmother's bags, which involved a lot more than they should have for staying just two nights. He was by no means a weakling, but she could've had the Great Wall of China in there for how heavy they were.

Suddenly one of the bags was taken from him, and he looked up to see Nowaki. Hiroki glared vaguely but didn't express his displeasure.

"So Hiroki, where is this wonderful woman who makes you so happy?" his grandmother asked on the way there. His grandfather was silent. He often was. It must have been a Kamijou trait that missed him.

The weekend would probably be awkward one way or another, so Hiroki tossed his head towards Nowaki and said, "Right there, though he's hardly a woman."

This made his grandmother stop, turn around, stare at Nowaki, turn around again, and go straight for the room she and her husband would be staying in for the night, muttering something about imagining things.

"I think that went well, Hiro-san."

"Shut the hell up."


	192. The Truth In Overheard Conversations

The Truth In Overheard Conversations

Hiroki's birthday was on Sunday, and Saturday morning, he woke up in his old room like he often did when he stayed with his parents. Nowaki was next to him as always, and he had managed to talk the man out of sex for once in their life. He was acutely aware that no matter how quiet they were, it was completely possible for his grandparents to hear them in the room just down the hall.

His mother and grandmother were up before either of them, and as Hiroki extracted himself from Nowaki's arms and wandered through the large house until he got to the kitchen, he couldn't help but overhear their conversation. His mother was cooking breakfast while his grandmother just sat there drinking coffee. If Hiroki remembered correctly, his grandmother was rather bad at cooking.

"I don't see how you can be so blasé about this," his grandmother was saying. "He's a grown man, he should know better."

"What could possibly be better for him than Kusama-san? Surely if you got to know the man better you'd agree with me," his mother replied.

"And what exactly is there to know about the man?"

"Well, he's a doctor," his mother said. "Kusama-san tells me he grew up an orphan and never went to high school, and Hiro-chan helped him with his equivalency tests so he could go to college. He's quite a hard-working man."

"Are we talking about the same Hiro-chan here?" his grandmother asked, looking amused. "I can't imagine him willingly teaching someone like that."

"Well, Mother, he did go on to be a professor. Although I suppose with how busy we all are, you wouldn't have been informed." Hiroki's mother's voice was cold, and even he had to repress a shiver at it. "He and Kusama-san have been together seven years, and you know how stubborn Hiroki is. I doubt anything you say could change his mind."

That, Hiroki thought as he decided to take a walk and give them a bit more time alone, was an extremely accurate statement.


	193. The Truth About Staying Quiet

The Truth About Staying Quiet

Akihiko showed up late Saturday afternoon, much to Hiroki's chagrin. Other than the awkward encounter in the morning over breakfast, he'd managed to have a rather civil time with his grandmother. Akihiko would probably only hurt that, though at least he didn't bring Misaki with him. Hiroki briefly wondered what Misaki did with himself when he didn't have to deal with the eccentric Usami, but then he realized he just didn't give a shit.

"Happy birthday, Hiroki," Akihiko said with a flourish, presenting him with a wrapped package.

"My birthday is tomorrow."

"Well, yes, but your mother told me your family would be here and you know how much I hate group functions." Akihiko smiled and bowed to Hiroki's mother, who was standing in the doorway, watching them. Hiroki and Akihiko had been standing out on the driveway of the Kamijou estate, with Akihiko leaning casually against his red sports car and Hiroki just looking pissed-off.

Hiroki muttered something as he took the gift and then said, "Can't be nearly as much as me."

"I'd beg to differ. I seem to remember a time when we were twelve when our families got together for dinner. You stayed right there at the table like a good boy and my parents couldn't find me for three hours."

Before Hiroki could comment on this, his grandmother emerged from the house, looking happy as a clam to see Akihiko. "Ah, Akihiko-kun. It's so good to see you."

"And you as well," Akihiko said with that award-winning smile pasted on his face. It might've startled Hiroki if he weren't so used to it by then. "How have you been?"

They walked off by themselves even though Akihiko had just said he was just stopping by the give him the present. Hiroki contemplated letting his grandmother know that his best friend, the one that she had treasured and wished were hers since their childhood, was probably gayer than he was.

In the end, though, Hiroki just glared, snapped his mouth shut, and went to find Nowaki.


	194. The Truth About Being Human

The Truth About Being Human

In the end, Hiroki never told his grandmother that Akihiko was gay, and Akihiko left after a few hours with a smile and a promise that he'd keep in touch- though whether that was to Hiroki or his grandmother, he didn't know. He'd certainly be in touch with Hiroki, though, if the frantic call from his editor he'd gotten halfway through dinner was any indication.

Once night had fallen and Nowaki distracted, Hiroki snuck away from the house so he could have some time on his own. It only took a little while to get to the spot he and Akihiko would always spend time in as children. Even after so many years, he knew the path to it by heart.

"Hiro-san?"

Hiroki jumped in surprise and whirled around to see Nowaki. He hadn't even suspected he was being followed, but there his boyfriend was, blinking up at the sky and looking confused. Hiroki just shook his head and sat against the tree Akihiko had always sat under when he was writing. He knew that telling Nowaki to go away at that point probably wouldn't work.

"You followed me, huh?"

"No, Hiro-san. Your mother noticed you were gone and said you'd probably gone here," Nowaki said with a kind smile. He sat down beside Hiroki but didn't touch him, for once. "She told me how to get here."

"Of course she would," Hiroki said, rolling his eyes. He laid back into the grass, and he didn't even bat Nowaki's hand away when he started stroking his hair. "My entire childhood I thought she didn't know where I went when I ran off but she knew the whole time. Typical."

"Ran off, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked.

"Yeah. When I got frustrated, I'd run off here. This is actually where I met Akihiko. He'd do the same, though for different reasons." He glanced up to see Nowaki's eyes had slightly darkened at the mention of Akihiko and he shook his head. "We've been together how long and you still can't deal with him?"

"Everyone has someone they don't like, Hiro-san," Nowaki murmured.

"Even you, huh?"

"I suppose so." Nowaki smiled and leaned down, catching Hiroki's lips in a kiss. "I'm only human."

Hiroki almost said that sometimes he wondered, but that would've been far too sappy.


	195. The Truth About Mornings

The Truth About Mornings

The next morning, Hiroki couldn't help but notice that his family had started to gather even before he woke up. By the time he changed, vaguely noting that Nowaki wasn't there with him, and stumbled out into the kitchen because that was where most of the noise was coming from, he saw why: Nowaki was cooking with his mother while his aunts made a big deal over there finally being a man in the family who could cook.

"Oh, good morning, Hiro-chan!" his mother said, walking over and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "And happy birthday."

Hiroki scowled and rubbed at his cheek but couldn't say he was entirely displeased. "Thank you." His eyes went over to Nowaki, who was listening to one of his aunts' stories with rapt attention. Everyone else in the family was tired of those old women and their stories, so he supposed Nowaki was a welcome addition in that respect.

Before Hiroki could really enter the kitchen properly, Nowaki was upon him. Hiroki wasn't sure what Nowaki and his mother had been cooking, but it apparently involved a lot of flour, because when Nowaki hugged his boyfriend, they both became covered in it. There was even a light cloud between them when Hiroki finally managed to push him away. "Nowaki, what the hell?"

"Happy birthday, Hiro-san," Nowaki said with a big smile. Given how happy he looked, Hiroki couldn't help but sigh and let his boyfriend hug him tightly, despite the eyes that were on him. Those eyes included his grandmother, who just averted her gaze and went back to drinking her coffee. "By the way, Hiro-san," Nowaki added when he'd finally been satisfied. "What was it that Usami-san gave you yesterday?"

Hiroki flinched and averted his eyes in a similar way to how his grandmother had just moments ago. He'd opened the present when Nowaki wasn't around the previous night, but instead of answering, he said, "I dunno. I'll look at it later."

**Mysty is going home for Thanksgiving vacation and will not be back until Sunday. Just so you don't start panicking when I don't update :P**


	196. The Truth About Manga

The Truth About Manga

Hiroki's grandmother didn't exactly approve of him drinking at his party, especially considering there was more than one child present for the celebration. In the end, however, her admonishments hadn't worked, and Hiroki snuck off to his room with a bottle of sake and the knowledge that Nowaki knew exactly where he was and would probably be in to see him just as he was passing out.

He was off by maybe a few minutes. Hiroki's eyelids were heavy as he laid sprawled on his bedroom floor, but he wasn't completely asleep yet. He was also laying there with Akihiko's present to him in his hands, the wrapping only half off and obviously torn in frustration when he realized what it was.

"Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked, peeking into the room like he thought he was in danger if he went into it too quickly. He probably would be, too; Hiroki was, after all, prone to throwing things at people he didn't want to see. Hiroki just closed his eyes and acted like he was asleep, vaguely noticing when Nowaki came in and sat down beside him. "Hiro-san, are you alright?"

There was silence for a bit as Nowaki waited for an answer, and finally Hiroki sighed and said, "I'm fine. Just reading Akihiko's present and wondering what I did in life to deserve this."

It seemed that one of the story lines from Junai Egoist had recently been turned into a manga, and Akihiko had felt it appropriate to sign a copy and gift it to him. The fictional versions of Nowaki and Hiroki stared up at them both from the front and back covers, in the intimate poses that were usual to the Junai series. Nowaki plucked the manga from Hiroki's hands, and Hiroki didn't open his eyes. He expected his boyfriend to just put it away, but when he finally glanced through one slit of an eyelid, he saw Nowaki had sat down on the bed and was flipping through it.

"Nowaki!" Hiroki shouted, shooting up. He got a terrible case of vertigo as he did it, though, and he found the only thing he could do was make a frantic run for the bathroom.

**For those who haven't seen, I have a full-length story started! It's an Egoist AU, so look up Loving For The Love Impaired if you'd like to see it. And review it, of course :)**


	197. The Truth About Acceptance

The Truth About Acceptance

There seemed to be a distinct moment when Hiroki's grandmother accepted Nowaki. It wasn't because of anything he said to her or even the fact that, when he wasn't consoling the half-drunk and fully pissed-off Hiroki in his room, he was helping to take care of the younger children or even helping the maids with cleanup, no matter how much they told him he really didn't have to. No, it was something else entirely.

When the relatives finally left, after some of them were clever enough to figure out where Hiroki was and say goodbye to him, Hiroki wandered out of his room. He hadn't drank nearly enough and was already almost sober. Most of the buzz had been wasted by that nap he took, and he was really regretting it.

"I just want to go home," Hiroki muttered from where he was sitting at the kitchen island, watching his mother flit about making dinner. He and Nowaki were supposed to catch the subway back to their apartment after dinner, and for Hiroki, that time couldn't come nearly fast enough. "I just want to go home and forget this weekend happened."

"Hiro-san, how can you say that?" Nowaki asked as Hiroki's grandmother glanced over. "Your family does care about you. And they're not as bad as you seem to think."

"You're only saying that because they actually like you," Hiroki said, rolling his eyes.

Nowaki just smiled at that and went to help Hiroki's mother cook. Hiroki's grandmother cleared her throat, and when Hiroki looked over to her, she said, "The boy must be a saint if he can put up with that attitude of yours."

That just made the furrow between Hiroki's eyebrows deepen.


	198. The Truth About Silence

The Truth About Silence

Misaki was rather disconcerted when he got home from classes and discovered a silent, seemingly empty apartment. He knew when the man was on a deadline, which was admittedly often but not right then. When Usagi wasn't completely absorbed in writing or recovering from the crunch of a deadline, he could usually be found waiting in the living room if he hadn't brought Misaki home, greeting him with 'I'm running low on my Misaki' and a pounce.

After taking off his shoes and putting his bag away, Misaki carefully crept into the apartment and looked around. The kitchen was spotless, so Usagi hadn't tried to boil water or something and ended up having to go to the hospital. When he looked to the living room, though, he noticed Usagi was indeed there, but he was asleep on a sofa with a book over his eyes.

Frowning, Misaki removed the book, not even thinking about it. It was only when Usagi made a quiet little noise in his sleep that he yelped and jumped back like Usagi was already trying to attack him. The man didn't even twitch, though, and Misaki's racing heart was probably the only sound in the room after that.

Seeing that Usagi wasn't going to wake up on his own, and knowing what would happen if he tried to do it himself, Misaki decided that the best course of action was to go out and get groceries for dinner. He didn't want to be pounced, but the silence in the apartment was killing him.


	199. The Truth About Running

The Truth About Running

Despite how much Shinobu called him an old man, Miyagi didn't regularly feel old. He did, however, as he sat there in the park on Saturday afternoon, watching the leaves fall as Shinobu ran laps along one of the shorter foot paths. In an effort to get his parents off his case about only doing the bare minimum when it came to school, Shinobu had let himself be roped into some kind of charity run, though only after he'd mentioned it to Miyagi and the man had insisted he do it.

"It's only one thing, Shinobu," he'd pointed out, and Shinobu had scowled but agreed.

Then again, Miyagi thought as Shinobu came around again, hardly breaking a sweat, you didn't have to be old to feel tired watching Shinobu. It was just that the older he got, the more sedentary his life tended to be. Shinobu had asked Miyagi if he wanted to run with him, but he'd declined. Shinobu still managed to get him to go out with him when he was training.

However, when Shinobu passed by again with a quick, "You probably couldn't keep up with me anyway, old man!" Miyagi found himself twitching. He was too old to fall for such bait, but Shinobu kept making comments like that. He wasn't nearly as bad as Hiroki, who probably would've chased down and beaten anyone who had dared make such comments (and was probably in better shape than him, to boot) but he had his pride.

Finally, Shinobu stopped right in front of Miyagi, and Miyagi sighed and said, "You ready to go home?"

"No. I just thought you might like to, if you're just going to sit there," Shinobu said, his arms folded. "You look suspicious."

Miyagi couldn't help it. He chucked the book he'd been reading at Shinobu, who of course hadn't been expecting it and was hit square in the face.

"What the hell?" Shinobu asked, a mix of shocked and angry.

"Serves you right, brat."


	200. The Truth About Violence

The Truth About Violence

Hiroki was rather annoyed when he realized that his students were openly not paying attention to his lecture. They were all staring out the window that faced the courtyard. "What the hell is going on out there?"

"I think there's a fight, professor," one of the students said timidly. As soon as they were aware their teacher knew they weren't paying attention, they reluctantly brought their attention back to the front of the lecture hall.

Hiroki's eye twitched, and he was more than tempted to go to the window and see for himself, and perhaps yell at the parties involved if there really was a fight. There came yelling outside that he recognized as other professors, though, and so he figured that they had it covered. He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and said, "Just let it be a lesson to you that violence solves nothing."

"Like you're one to talk," one of the students at the front of the class muttered, and when Hiroki snapped his attention to the boy, he gulped hard.

"I have not been in a fight since high school," Hiroki said. "And I have not physically attacked anyone in…" He paused, about to reference a time in college when a man he was going out with had gotten particularly asshole-ish and he'd been forced to defend himself. But then, he remembered the time at the hospital when he'd beaned Tsumori with Nowaki's bag, and he ducked his head and said, "Well, that's not important. Now let's get back to work."

The classroom stayed oddly silent for the rest of the class period.

**Going home on Tuesday for winter vacation so won't be around evenings or weekends. Also, dear Nerdlicious: if you were the one who bought the last two Junjou volumes from the Bangor Borders when it was closing this summer before I could, we will be having some very stern words *only half joking*. **


	201. Hiroki's Seventh Truth

Hiroki's Seventh Truth

Even though they'd been in their new apartment for several months now, Hiroki still hadn't put away all his books. He knew that he wouldn't get it accomplished in one day, but he had Saturday pretty much alone until the evening because of Nowaki's shift at the hospital that day, and so he decided to take the opportunity to put at least some away.

"I don't even remember getting half of these," Hiroki muttered as he opened one of the boxes in his study. He'd let Eri-chan out of her cage so she could run around in the exercise ball and, when Hiroki saw her roll in, he said, "Don't tell Nowaki I said that, though. He still thinks I've read every single book in my collection."

For her part, Eri-chan wasn't extremely interested and just rolled along on her way.

Hiroki shook his head and went back to pulling books out of the box and shelving them. When he finished, he tossed it aside and moved to another. It looked like it had already been opened and then closed back up, so without even looking at the label, Hiroki opened the box and reached in for one. When he actually looked at the title, though, he dropped the book like it was on fire and kicked the box away from himself.

"God dammit, I thought I got rid of those Junai things," he muttered, eying them like they'd attack him if given the chance. He could almost hear Akihiko laughing at him.

**Wasn't going to update again until I got home, but a friend on Twitter reminded me that it's already December 13th in Japan which is Nakamura Shungiku's birthday! So, happy birthday to our favorite manga-ka :D**


	202. The Students' Fourth Truth

The Student's Fourth Truth

It wasn't that the freshmen and others who'd never had a class with him necessarily thought that Hiroki was evil. It was just that they weren't used to his gung-ho approach to literature. And by gung-ho approach, they meant that he tossed books and chalk at them whenever they weren't paying attention in class or gave him what he thought was an unsatisfactory answer when they were having a class discussion.

So yes, maybe some of them thought he was evil. A cold-hearted bastard who lived for his job and only existed within the confines of his classroom. Which was why they were shocked to the core when a group from his Intro to Japanese Literature class saw him in a supermarket, dressed in street clothes and looking like he belonged more with them than behind the podium he threw chalk at them from.

They ran for it before he could spot them, but one of them stayed behind and watched when she realized that another man was there with him, and Hiroki didn't look entirely put-out being there with him.

"Nowaki, can't we just get takeout tonight?" he asked as Nowaki considered the rice choices.

"You'd have a lot more energy if you ate healthier, Hiro-san."

"Sayoko, come on! Jiro said he'd get the beer."

Sayoko turned to glance at her friends, who were staring at her like they thought she was committing a crime.

"I'm plenty healthy," Hiroki muttered.

Nowaki got a grin on his face that made Sayoko do a double-take, but when she looked again, it was gone. "I know, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, going back to the rice.

Sayoko ran for it, catching up with her friends. Seeing her professor outside of class was bizarre enough, she didn't need to be getting weird ideas about his sex life.

**Dear ****Nerdlicious: I would love to be super special awesome sparkly friends! But anon reviews and author's notes aren't the best way for friends to communicate :(**


	203. The Truth About Late Shifts

The Truth About Late Shifts

When Nowaki got a graveyard shift at the hospital, he generally had very little to do. Sometimes there would be children coming in sick, but there generally wasn't much more than rounds. It wasn't like he was glad when children were brought in with injuries, but he liked when he had something to do.

That particular night, at about two am, a family was brought in that included a child of about ten. They had been driving home from a weekend trip and lost control of the car. The girl was terrified when she realized she wasn't going to be with her parents until they were done with their own x-rays, and instead of continuing on his rounds, Nowaki sat down with her.

"Are they going to be okay?" the girl asked, her voice sounding choked as she tried to hold back her tears. She'd come out of the accident fairly well, since she'd had pillows with her to cushion the impact, but her parents hadn't been quite as lucky.

Nowaki nodded, handing her a tissue. "I'm sure they will be, we just want to make sure. Okay?"

There was silence for a few minutes, broken only by the girl's sniffling and occasionally blowing her nose into the tissue. Finally she said, "How come you're here at such a weird time, anyway?"

"They do need staff here all day," Nowaki explained. "If there weren't doctors on call at times like this, what would they do when things like this happen?"

"I guess," the girl said, sounding less choked-up. "But what about your family?"

Nowaki smiled, handing the girl another tissue. "I do have someone but… he's used to me being gone at strange hours by now, I suppose." He didn't even think about the pronoun he used, and he almost flinched, hoping he hadn't said the wrong thing.

Instead, the girl just sniffled and said, "I'm hungry."

"Well, they didn't say you shouldn't have something to eat, so how about I get you candy?"

"Anything chocolate!" the girl said, sounding more enthusiastic.

Nowaki nodded and he got up, reaching into his coat pocket for some change. He decided, as he went down the hall to the vending machine, that such easy acceptance was very nice.


	204. The Truth About Phone Calls

The Truth About Phone Calls

It was, in Nowaki's opinion, the best evening he'd had in a while. He'd been pulling a lot of evening to late night shifts, so he and Hiroki hadn't spent a lot of time together lately. There was an advantage to that, though: without Nowaki around to distract Hiroki, he'd been able to get a lot more work done than he'd planned for and so when Nowaki finally had a day off, when Hiroki got back from the university, they were able to just spend time together. They'd had dinner delivered so neither had to cook and there wouldn't be any dishes to wash.

Their current position was on the couch, the TV running in the background to a show Nowaki liked, but it was all but forgotten. Hiroki had his glasses on and was reading a book, and Nowaki had laid his head in Hiroki's lap about half an hour ago. At that point, Hiroki absentmindedly ran his hand through Nowaki's thick hair in between turning pages in his book. Nowaki didn't do anything but let out a contented sigh every now and then, afraid that if Hiroki realized what he was doing, he'd throw a fit about such extended, intimate contact.

The moment was broken, however, when Nowaki's cell phone rang. He'd placed it on the coffee table between the two couches and as he frowned and removed his head from Hiroki's lap, he regretted not thinking to put it on silent. He had a pager for the hospital so if he had to go in, they'd call him on that.

Hiroki wandered into his office to get a new book to read, since he'd actually finished the one he had about ten minutes previously but didn't want to move Nowaki. He heard snippets of his boyfriend's conversation, and as he searched the shelf, he glanced up to see Nowaki in the doorway. "What?"

"Um, Hiro-san, one of my friends from the American program is going to be in Japan for his honeymoon and he wanted to meet up…" Nowaki said.

Hiroki shrugged. "Yeah?"

"He said he'd like to meet you, too," Nowaki said. When he noticed the scowl, he added, "I stayed with him and his family for most of the time I was there, to save money on rent, so of course I've told him about you."

Hiroki continued to scowl as he just reached up and pulled a book at random from the shelf. "How many times have I told you to not talk so much about me?"

Nowaki smiled and walked up, wrapping his arms around Hiroki from behind. "But I love you, Hiro-san. And I really missed you back then." He buried his head in Hiroki's hair, but when he opened one eye, he noticed the book Hiroki had grabbed. "You're reading one of the Junai novels?"

Hiroki cursed and tossed the thing like a Frisbee until it landed in a pile of books and knocked it over. Before he could go to fix it, Nowaki turned him around and kissed him deeply. The pile of books wouldn't get fixed until Hiroki noticed it again the following morning.


	205. Another Truth About Assuming

Another Truth About Assuming

Hiroki was taking a shower after work when Nowaki's friend from America showed up. He and his wife were, apparently, doing their honeymoon in Japan even though they'd gotten married as soon as he finished school several months before. His wife, however, had decided to stay in the hotel and have them pick her up later, so the two had time to catch up on their own.

Either that or, as Ethan, Nowaki's friend, pointed out, do some last minute cramming of kana so she wasn't _completely_ lost when they started sightseeing the next morning.

"Geeze, Nowaki, this place puts mine and Melanie's place to shame," Ethan said. He was speaking in English even though he was moderately fluent in Japanese. "How do you get a place like this, anyway?"

"Well, we needed more room, and this is close to the university Hiro-san teaches at," Nowaki said. "It's not hard if you know where to look. I'm not sure if there are ones like this in New York City, though."

"Speaking of Hiro-san, when do we get to meet, anyway?" Ethan carefully removed his shoes once Nowaki was done in the genkan, looking a bit awkward about it all. As he stepped into the apartment and really got a look, though, he noticed the pictures. There were only a few, but they stood prominently on top of the TV in simple, silver frames. Ethan went over and picked up one of Hiroki from his undergraduate degree graduation. "Is this… her?" He tilted his head, the 'her' coming out in a rather confused way.

"I don't believe I ever told you Hiro-san was a woman," Nowaki said softly, picking up some books Hiroki had left scattered in the living room. Nowaki briefly noted that one of the books he was picking up was the Junai Egoist novel Akihiko had given Hiroki for his birthday, and he smiled and put it back down.

"Is that Junai Egoist?" Ethan suddenly asked. When Nowaki nodded, he said, "Melanie reads those. I guess they translate them into other languages."

Nowaki could tell it was going to be a long night for his poor Hiro-san.


	206. The Truth About Language

The Truth About Language

Melanie, Hiroki decided, was not someone he usually tolerated. She was excitable, for one thing, and though her vocabulary wasn't that bad, she spoke Japanese with a strange accent and didn't always get the correct verb conjugation, if she used the appropriate one at all. So she talked a lot but it was hard to follow. It was like one of his students had to read a paper out loud, complete with all their grammatical errors.

She hadn't however, as Nowaki had feared, made the connection between him and Hiroki and their Junai versions, at least yet.

"Kamijou-san, what is your work?" Melanie asked, her tongue stumbling over the words.

There was a beat of silence in which it seemed like Nowaki would have to put down his water glass and say it himself, but Hiroki deigned it appropriate to talk. "I'm a professor of literature."

There was another stretch of silence in which Melanie took this in, slowly realizing how much she had embarrassed herself over the course of their short time knowing each other just because she didn't really choose her words

Suddenly, she was speaking a lot slower. "I remember meeting Kusama-san in America, but we never talked. He was always studying."

"…you sound like you're having a stroke," Hiroki said, narrowing his eyes.

"Hiro-san, be nice," Nowaki said, his voice admonishing.

"I'm being nice!"

"Whenever I tried to get Nowaki out for a party or drinks, he'd tell me that he was trying to get through his two year program in one year. Said he missed Hiro-san too much," Ethan supplied, eying Hiroki warily like he thought the older man might bite him, given the chance.

Something else seemed to click in Melanie's brain as she looked around, hoping their food would get there soon. "Nowaki isn't a very common given name, is it?"

"I suppose not," Nowaki said, shrugging easily.

"Have you ever heard of Junai Egoist?"

At that Nowaki glanced at Hiroki, who was choking on his water. When he was sure his boyfriend wasn't going to die, Nowaki smiled and said, "Hiro-san is good friends with Yayoi Akikawa, actually. They've known each other for several years."

Hiroki decided that Nowaki really did need to die when they got home after this.


	207. The Truth About BL Manga

The Truth About BL Manga

Hiroki abandoned Ethan, Melanie and Nowaki as soon as they got back to their apartment. Nowaki had invited them to stay for tea but that did not, apparently, require his boyfriend to be a part of it.

Of course, the fact that he locked himself up in his office was preplanned, and it came without the thought that left to her own devices, Melanie would find the Junai Egoist manga Nowaki had failed to put away earlier and start screaming in delight.

"This isn't even out in America yet!" she said in English, and for once in his life, Hiroki regretted the fact that he could understand that particular language. "And it's even signed!"

There was some general moving around in the living room, most likely on Melanie's part, and before Hiroki knew it, Melanie was in the doorway of his office. Hiroki had been on the floor, books spread around him as he looked up some quotes in an essay from one of his students to make sure they were accurate. He even had his dress sleeves rolled up and his glasses perched on his nose.

"Kamijou-san, can I-" Before she could finish the sentence, she stopped, her eyes wide. She clutched the manga to her chest as she just stared at Hiroki.

"What?" Hiroki asked, taking his glasses off and staring right back at her.

Melanie turned right back around, opening up the manga and staring at the panels, muttering something about "Hiroki Nakajou." Hiroki decided he didn't want to know.

**As a side note, "Nakajou" is the family name Hiroki's Junai counterpart is given (as seen in the real-life Junai Egoist novels). I guess even Usagi-san thinks he needs to protect the innocent XD**


	208. The Truth About Forgiving

The Truth About Forgiving

Nowaki was called into the hospital that night and so Hiroki didn't have to pull the silent treatment as he'd been planning to. He also wasn't back home by the time Hiroki had to head off for work, but by then, Hiroki's temper had cooled off and he'd been willing to at least grudgingly receive a kiss goodbye. When it became obvious he wouldn't even be able to do that much to make up with his partner, he ended up going to the university in a very bad mood.

"Kamijou, what have I told you about frowning?" Miyagi entered the office in the late afternoon with a stack of paper for the photocopier. Hiroki's only reply was a grunt; he didn't even look at Miyagi. "Aw, did you and your boyfriend have a fight?"  
>Hiroki's eye twitched. "What makes you say that, Professor?"<p>

Miyagi grinned. "Your skin isn't nearly as nice today."

"Nowaki was called in to the hospital last night," Hiroki said, pushing away Miyagi's finger as the older man tried to poke his cheek.

Miyagi shrugged good naturedly and went about refilling the photocopier. Hiroki eyed his phone; he hadn't received a call or text from Nowaki, but if the man was still working he'd be too busy and if he'd gotten home, he was probably catching up on his sleep. It still bothered him that he hadn't gotten at least one text from Nowaki asking what he wanted for dinner.

Finally, Hiroki sighed and picked up his phone. He was fully aware that Miyagi was watching him out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't care.

_Do you want to go to Pandasan tonight?_

A reply came not even a minute later.

_Of course!_

Hiroki shook his head. He had no idea why he worried about Nowaki. The man was never mad at him for one of his egotistical hissy fits. He was still hiding his Junai volumes, though.


	209. The Truth About Concentration

The Truth About Concentration

When Miyagi was really into a book, it was like a barrier went up and despite Shinobu's best efforts, there was really nothing he could do to make the man put down the book and pay attention to _him_ for a change.

Not that he never tried.

"Miyagi, I'm making dinner now," Shinobu said as he stood there in the doorway of Miyagi's office. Miyagi didn't even look up from the dusty old book he'd dragged into the apartment with him that night and immediately gotten into. Usually he'd at least acknowledge Shinobu with a short kiss or a pat on his head, even if it did annoy the hell out of Shinobu when Miyagi treated him like a kid.

Shinobu scowled. "Is that dusty old book really more interesting than me?"

Still no response.

"Miyagi, the apartment is burning down," Shinobu said, but his voice was deadpan and his arms were folded.

Miyagi still didn't reply. The only indication that he hadn't fallen asleep with his eyes open was the fact that he turned a page in his book and his eyes kept moving up and down the lines of text.

Shinobu's frown turned into a scowl and he said, "You're not getting sex tonight."

Miyagi looked up, blinking. "Did you say something, Shinobu?"

"I'm going out," Shinobu said huffily, slamming the office door in his wake. Miyagi could do nothing but blink in confusion.


	210. Miyagi's Fifth Truth

Miyagi's Fifth Truth

There were very few times when Hiroki wished Miyagi would stay in the office rather than actually working, and this was one of them. He had a class to teach, but Shinobu had showed up and refused to leave without Miyagi, so the boy sat down on the office couch and just stared forward. Hiroki and Shinobu were both pointedly pretending that the other wasn't there; despite the fact that Shinobu knew Hiroki was in an extremely committed relationship, there was still animosity because you just don't get rid of that kind of hate that easily.

Miyagi's class lasted an hour and a half, and for an hour, Hiroki just sat at his desk, grading essays and scowling at them, muttering under his breath. Shinobu didn't once take out something to distract himself or reach over to one of the book piles for something to read. Eventually, though, he said, "What's your problem, anyway?"

"My students couldn't write themselves out of a wet paper bag, that's my problem," Hiroki muttered without even thinking about it.

Shinobu rolled his eyes and laid down on the couch. "Like that surprises me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hiroki asked, narrowing his eyes.

"None of my classmates can, either. I can write a perfect essay in my sleep and they probably couldn't even breathe while sleeping."

A half hour later, Miyagi walked into his office, ready to apologize to Shinobu and say they could go home, only to see his boyfriend on the couch, staring at one of the papers Hiroki was supposed to be grading.

"Did they seriously cross off an entire paragraph on a final draft?" Shinobu asked.

"Read what was crossed out; it's better that way," Hiroki said from his desk.

An even deeper scowl graced Shinobu's face as he did just that, and before either could notice him, Miyagi backed right out of the office.

He had, it seemed, walked into an episode of The Twilight Zone.


	211. The Truth About Relationship Advice

The Truth About Relationship Advice

Hiroki was far from social when it came to his coworkers at the university except for Miyagi. So he was rather surprised when a woman he knew to be engaged (she had made such a big deal out of it and had gone to such great lengths to make sure everyone knew the six or so months ago it had happened that even Hiroki had the fact branded into his brain) came knocking at his open door one day when Miyagi was out. He was more than familiar with women who were single trying to chat him up, though it didn't happen so much anymore since so many of his colleagues had seen him with Nowaki in some capacity and drawn (correct) conclusions.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Kamijou-sensei?" the woman asked. Hiroki didn't even remember her name. Hiroki just nodded, and she took the vacated seat at Miyagi's desk and turned it to face Hiroki. "You've been with your partner for a while, right?"

Hiroki's eye twitched, but he adjusted his glasses and said, "Nowaki? About seven years, yes."

"Well, as you know, I'm getting married soon and…" She averted her eyes when Hiroki's eye twitched again. "Well since you've been together so long, I thought it might be nice to ask you how you do it. Work through fights and things like that."

Hiroki ducked his head. He could've said a lot: that communication was key, that willing to realize that there are other things in your partner's life that sometimes take precedent helps prevent fights (not that Hiroki had been particularly good about that over the years) and even that it's okay to sometimes just sit in silence together if it means spending time with each other.

Instead, because he was feeling like a smartass, Hiroki said, "Sex."

"Sex?" the woman asked, looking surprised. She clearly hadn't expected that answer.

"Nowaki has the sex drive of someone two-thirds his age. I doubt he'd know what to do with himself if he was suddenly single."

The woman stood up, nodding. Hiroki went back to his work, not caring that he had just warped one person's opinion of him.


	212. The Truth About Remembering

The Truth About Remembering

"Nowaki," Hiroki said, eying his boyfriend. Nowaki had just gotten home from a morning to afternoon shift at the hospital, and he had already stripped off his shirt as he looked for clothes to change into after taking a shower. Hiroki was sitting on the bed cross-legged with his laptop open. "Why do you have kana all over your arms?"

Nowaki stopped and looked at his arms, as if he hadn't realized the existence of the symbols all over them. They were painted there with black ink, the kind that came in a pot and you dipped a calligraphy brush in. He smiled though, and said, "Some of the children in the hospital are learning kana right now."

"So they drew on your arms?" Hiroki asked, narrowing his eyes and taking his glasses off. "Is the hospital really so underfunded that they didn't have paper for those brats to practice on."

The smile never left Nowaki's face. Instead he said, "They wanted me to remember them, so they wrote their names on my arms."

Hiroki snorted and muttered something about how stupid that was. To hide any embarrassment, he ducked his head and went back to the work he'd been doing on his laptop. He looked back up, though, when he felt the bed shift down. Nowaki had sat down on the other side of his laptop. "Did you want to write your name too, Hiro-san?"

"Yeah right." Hiroki snapped his laptop shut. "Just go take a shower."

"Okay, Hiro-san." Without the laptop between them, he leaned over and kissed Hiroki on the lips. Hiroki was appropriately flustered as Nowaki said, "I couldn't forget you anyway, Hiro-san." With one last smile, he got up and headed to the bathroom.

Hiroki grit his teeth and wiped at his lips. "Stupid, sentimental goof."


	213. The Truth About Marriage

The Truth About Marriage

Hiroki and Nowaki hadn't gone shopping for groceries together in a while, but when they got to the store, Hiroki still suggested they split up to make it go faster. Of course Nowaki couldn't complain about that, and so they each took half the list and went their separate ways. It was when Nowaki was in the produce section that he was approached.

"Kusama-san!"

Nowaki looked up from considering carrots and immediately recognized the woman; she was Miura, a female doctor from a walk-in clinic he'd worked at during his undergraduate career. They hadn't seen each other since Nowaki went to America, though.

"Good evening, Miura-sensei. I hope you've been well," he said, smiling and bowing.

"I have, and you?" Miura asked. "Still in school?"

"Ah, no. I graduated a year early. I'm working at Mitsuhashi General now," Nowaki said.

"That's great!" Miura said, and then she seemed to think of something. "Are you still with Hiro-san?"

Nowaki had, of course, often mentioned Hiro-san at the clinic when he was talking with Miura and the other staff. On the other hand, he hadn't mentioned gender in case Hiroki had ever had to go in to the clinic to pick him up or something, knowing how fragile the man was about others perceptions even if he did claim to be openly gay back then. "Yes," Nowaki said with a smile. "We actually started living together when I came back from my time in America."

"You've been together this long and still haven't married her?" Miura asked, though she sounded more amused than anything.

"Hiro-san isn't really the marrying type."

"Nowaki come on, I got everything on my list."

Nowaki and Miura both turned to see Hiroki with a shopping basket over his arm, looking rather put-out as he stood across the produce section. He eyed Miura but didn't say anything.

"And anyway, we're happy with the way things are now," Nowaki said with a smile. Then he turned to Hiroki and said, "I just have a couple more things, Hiro-san."

"Well hurry up. We don't have all day." Hiroki rolled his eyes and disappeared, though to where, Nowaki couldn't really guess.

Miura rose an eyebrow, looking amused. "Not the marrying type, huh?"

Nowaki's grin was warm. "No, not really."


	214. Miyagi's Early Truth

Miyagi's Early Truth

Miyagi hadn't been there when Hiroki Kamijou was interviewed by the higher-ups in the literature department, and Kamijou hadn't done his graduate degree at M so he didn't know him that way, either.

He was the first one in the office that he now had to share, though. He'd had his tenure since a little before he married Risako and until the newbie showed up, he'd had the office to himself and he rather liked it that way. It meant he could work however he wanted, smoke as much as he wanted, and keep whatever hours he wanted without worrying what an officemate might think.

Since he hadn't actually met Hiroki Kamijou, he wasn't entirely sure what to expect. He'd read his file, of course: graduated at the top of his class all the way through his doctorate so he was obviously a hardworking man. The dean of literature had said he was an extremely well-mannered man as well.

Miyagi grinned to himself. He'd probably be pretty fun to mess with.

The door behind him opened, and Miyagi turned to see a man who could only be his new underling. He was dressed well but not extravagantly, with a pair of plastic-framed glasses perched on his nose. He looked younger than he must've been to have obtained a doctorate, and Miyagi ran a hand over his face subconsciously, feeling the age lines that were already starting to form.

What he noticed most, however, was the scowl on his face.

"…good morning," Kamijou said, looking all around the office. It had already been set up to accommodate an extra person.

"Ah, hello!" Miyagi said, finally remembering his manners. "I'm-"

"Yoh Miyagi, I know," Kamijou said, managing what might have passed for a friendly smile as he bowed.

He was surprisingly mild-sounding for the scowl he'd been sporting when he entered the office. In fact, as he got set up and Miyagi pointed out the nearest electrical plug to his desk, Miyagi couldn't help but feel like there was more going on in his mind that could be seen. "Don't look so sour, Kamijou. You act like your sweetheart just broke up with you."

There was just enough of a twitch to Kamijou's facial expression to confirm that Miyagi had hit the nail on the head. He sighed, feeling something especially tender towards his new colleague. "Aw, Kamijou, it's not the end of the world."

Just as he reached a hand out, though, Kamijou said, "Touch me and I'll rip your middle finger off."

"Yikes!" Miyagi retreated back to his side of the office. This relationship was clearly off to an… interesting start.


	215. The Truth About Relationships

The Truth About Relationships

At the end of his first day, Hiroki went wandering into his office in the hope that he could get some work done there rather than having to go home. He was dismayed to see Miyagi still sitting in there, smoking away and reading the newspaper like he was right at home there.

"Professor, don't you have a wife to go home to?" Hiroki asked, because he knew that much about him, at least. Miyagi was married to the dean of literature's daughter. It was one way of making sure his daughter kept interest in the family business, Hiroki supposed, but being that he was gay and never had much interest in women, he couldn't understand the appeal.

Miyagi looked mildly sad, to his credit, as he blew out a puff of smoke and said, "Risako and I are thinking of getting a divorce. Neither of us are that interested in keeping up the charade, anyway." Then he turned to Hiroki, looking curious. "If you don't mind my asking, Kamijou, how long were you with that girl before she broke up with you?"

"Girl?" Hiroki asked, narrowing his eyes. Then he remembered Miyagi's correct assumption that he'd just gone through a breakup. Considering he had no plans to let his coworker know about his sexual orientation, he said, "We were together for six years." Hiroki watched as the cigarette fell right out Miyagi's mouth and onto his desk. Then he walked forward and picked the thing up between his fingers, crushing it out before throwing it in the trash. "Could you not smoke in here?"

Miyagi didn't seem to have heard that comment though. "Six _years_? Are you sure you're not suffering from a divorce?"

Hiroki rolled his eyes. "Yeah right," he said.

"That's twice as long as I've been married!"

"Some of us can actually make relationships work, professor," Hiroki muttered, going to his own desk. "Well, for a while."

"So what happened?"

"…just disappeared," Hiroki said, shrugging. "It was usual for us to not see each other for a few days, maybe a week, but it's been two months."

"Oh," Miyagi said, suddenly feeling bad about making fun of Hiroki when he found out. "Sorry."

Hiroki sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "Whatever."


	216. The Truth With A Slip of the Tongue

The Truth With A Slip of the Tongue

The next day, Hiroki made the mistake of leaving his bag in the office instead of bringing it with him to the class he had. Miyagi was more than willing to go through it, especially since Hiroki had left it open on his desk. Miyagi felt infinitely less guilty about going through the bag since it was already there for looking.

He didn't really find anything of interest, at least at first; it was filled with books and papers and some discarded wrappers from fast food burgers. Miyagi turned his nose up at them; he hadn't eaten fast food since he and Risako got married. That was, Miyagi supposed as he delicately pushed them aside, the one good thing about it. Without his wife, he'd probably be tempted to get lazy and start getting takeout most nights.

Miyagi rose his eyebrows when he came to a piece of paper at the bottom of Hiroki's bag that didn't look like paperwork, though. He carefully pulled it out and ran his eyes up and down messy handwriting.

"…this is a love letter," Miyagi said, and he started laughing uncontrollably. It was clearly a letter to Hiroki, not from; he'd seen his coworker's handwriting and it was neat to the point of meticulousness. The letter also used kana instead of kanji even in places where the kanji used would have been something one learned at an early age. Whoever the woman who sent this was, she didn't seem incredibly educated, and it surprised Miyagi.

"Professor, why are you going through my bag?"

Miyagi jumped in surprise and dropped the letter. Hiroki's eyes followed it to the floor, but he didn't seem to realize what it was. He did realize, however, when he leaned down to pick it up. His face went completely red, and he snatched it away. "Why the _hell_ are you looking at my personal things?"

"That lover of yours is… charming," Miyagi said, putting an easy grin on his face. "I would've thought you'd go for someone as smart as you though, Kamijou."

"He's studying to be a doctor," Hiroki muttered, folding up the letter and snatching his bag away.

"…he?"

Hiroki's face went redder, and he stomped out of the room without answering.


	217. Miyagi's Late Night Truth

Miyagi's Late-Night Truth

Hiroki had walked in with a scowl on his face, but he had a certain glow to him that wasn't just the nice skin that Miyagi teased him about. If one were to look beyond the surface, and Miyagi had learned to do such things after working with Hiroki for several months now, one would see that Hiroki Kamijou was a happy man. In fact, he was the happiest Miyagi had ever seen him.

Of course he had been a bit surprised when Hiroki's supposed ex-boyfriend showed up at the university later that week, yelling through the door at Hiroki and telling him to meet him at the usual restaurant for dinner.

And then, of course, there was the incident where Nowaki Kusama almost choked the life out of him because he'd tried to kiss Hiroki. He couldn't say he didn't know what was going through his mind when he did that because he did; Hiroki had looked so vulnerable, and Miyagi couldn't help but want to do something for him. He didn't know how far things would have gone that night if Nowaki hadn't intervened. Of course, it was clear how far things had gone between Hiroki and Nowaki, since Miyagi was the one to clean up the mess in the library.

That night, Miyagi sat down on the couch in his apartment, which was devoid of life except for him since his divorce had become final. It wasn't like Risako had added much life to the place, anyway; she was constantly gone for one reason or another during the latter half of their marriage.

Miyagi sighed, reaching for his pack of cigarettes only to find that it was empty. He could have very easily gone to a convenience store, but it was past midnight and he was tired in more ways than one.

He gave a sidelong glance to the picture of his old teacher, the one he usually had within reaching distance. He gave it a bitter smile before saying to himself, "Maybe I need to get a cat."


	218. The Truth About Pets

The Truth About Pets

Shinobu had been living with Miyagi for a few months when the subject of pets came up.

"Even if we wanted to get one you'd probably kill it with how much you smoke," Shinobu said with a scowl, frantically stirring whatever concoction he had going on the stove at that point in time. Miyagi had learned not to question his cooking by then. "And you can barely take care of yourself as it is."

"Hey, I had pets when I was younger!" Miyagi said, and he crushed out the cigarette he'd been smoking as if it proved some kind of point against Shinobu's first accusation. "I had a pretty big dog growing up."

"Yeah, and how much did you actually take care of it?"

There was silence as Miyagi grumbled to himself. Shinobu just rolled his eyes like he was dealing with an insolent child. "I'm not completely incompetent when it comes to other human beings, Shinobu," he said.

"I guess," Shinobu said, staring at his concoction. "I'm still alive, after all."

"Despite your own efforts." Miyagi rolled his eyes.

Shinobu decided to ignore that. "Why are you suddenly thinking about pets, anyway? It's not like either of us are home enough to enjoy a cat or whatever."

"…I thought about getting a cat about a year ago," Miyagi admitted.

"Why?"

"I was lonely, Shinobu. Loneliness does strange things to people." He started reaching for another cigarette when he noticed Shinobu staring at him oddly. "What?"

"Most people who are lonely try to find a partner."

Miyagi snorted. "I did." There was a long silence, and Miyagi knew that Shinobu was burning a hole straight through the frying pan with his eyes. "Well it didn't work, obviously!"

There was still silence, until Shinobu finally said, "Do you still want a cat?"

"I have my hands full with you."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."


	219. The Truth About Houses

The Truth About Houses

When Nowaki was growing up, he always had a dream that he'd settle down in a less populated part of Tokyo and have a lawn that he'd have to mow every Sunday, weather allowing, while his wife did other chores around the house. It was compensation, he supposed, for not growing up in that kind of atmosphere. Of course the minute he fell in love with Hiroki he knew he'd never get that kind of thing. It wasn't that he didn't think it was doable with Hiroki, it was just that he doubted Hiroki would enjoy playing housewife, let alone commuting by train for however long it would take to get to the university.

He was only thinking about this old dream because Hiroki was currently flailing around their apartment, complaining that even between his office and their place, there wasn't nearly enough room for all the books he had and would no doubt buy in the future.

"I need my own library," Hiroki grumbled as he just set some of his books on the floor. Another person might try to cram them onto a case, but Hiroki didn't want to ruin them.

"What did you do with your books when you lived at home, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked. He had Eri-chan in his lap and absentmindedly pet her head as he watched his boyfriend.

"We had a ton of rooms and two of them were for my books," Hiroki answered.

"…have you ever thought of getting a house of your own, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked carefully, gauging Hiroki's reaction with each word.

Hiroki actually seemed to think about that. "No, we don't earn nearly enough for a house as big as I'd need…" He mumbled to himself as he stacked some books and carried them off into his office to find a place for them.

Nowaki sighed and said to Eri-chan, "Well, it was worth a shot, wasn't it?" The guinea pig, for her part, didn't seem to care.


	220. The Truth About Boredom

The Truth About Boredom

Misaki was bored. Usagi had been dragged off for the weekend to some meeting or signing or something and Misaki had refused to go despite the fact that even Aikawa had said it would be fine. He didn't want to be a burden or cause trouble, and the best way to do that was to just stay behind and keep his and Usagi's life separate from Usagi's professional life as much as possible.

Of course this led to the fact that he had no idea what to do with himself. It was Saturday afternoon and without Usagi to bug him and distract him, he'd actually managed to finish all the work for his classes that was immediately due.

Misaki sighed dramatically and flopped over onto the couch, not sure what to do. He could watch TV, but there was hardly anything good on TV on a Saturday afternoon. He could go out, but it wasn't nearly as much fun to go out alone and Todo was working. Misaki knew this because he'd attempted to call him earlier that day to ask if he wanted to do something.

By the time Usagi came back late Sunday evening, it was to a complete rearrangement of the living room furniture and several meals' worth of food packed up and wrapped in the fridge. Misaki himself had finally escaped the apartment and went to a movie, as a note he had left said. Usagi decided that he wasn't going to leave him alone for that long again.


	221. The Truth About High Standards

The Truth About High Standards

Hiroki was doing his office hours when a girl he didn't recognize from any of his classes stopped by. At first he thought she was looking for Miyagi, and he was about to tell her that he had a class. However, she said, "Oh, Professor Kamijou, I'm glad I caught you."

"…I don't recognize you," Hiroki said, at least sounding a little bit sorry for that fact. His classes were all lecture hall classes though, and so unless students made an impression on him, he really didn't have reason to remember names and faces.

"Oh. Well, I'm not a student right now, but I was in the past." The girl stepped in properly, and the door slammed behind her. She jumped in surprise, but Hiroki didn't seem to care. "I'm actually a graduate student now, so I'm not really around here."

Hiroki didn't look like he enjoyed the fact that the girl was dragging things out. His arms were folded, and even the action of his glasses falling down his nose seemed severe.

"Well, that is, I just wanted to thank you," she finally said with a smile. "My advisor says I'm doing really well and asked if I had a secret, and I told her one of my undergraduate professors was really severe so I'm used to the standards I have now…"

Hiroki just continued to sit there, but instead of looking irritated, he just looked shocked. He didn't even notice that during the student's explanation, Miyagi had come wandering back in.

"Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. It was good seeing you again, professor." She bowed and was gone before Hiroki could actually reply.

"Nice to be appreciated, huh Kamijou?" Miyagi asked, slapping him on the back. This caused Hiroki to jump back to reality, and he clocked Miyagi with the book in his hand.

"Don't touch me."

**ILuvHiro requested this and I only hope I met your specifications, darling XD**


	222. The Truth About Allergies

The Truth About Allergies

"Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked as he stood at the stove one night, a sudden thought occurring to him.

Hiroki was sitting at the dining room table, papers spread out before him as he tried to catch up on his grading. "What?"

"Are you allergic to anything?"

There was a long silence, but when Nowaki looked back, Hiroki was actually thinking about it. Finally, he shook his head. "No."

"Not even insect stings, or some kind of food?"

"Nowaki, if I was allergic to any kind of food, you would have figured it out by now," Hiroki said in a stern voice. He pulled his glasses off and gave his boyfriend a pointed look. "Why are you asking me that, anyway?"

Nowaki ducked his head. "I just like knowing things about you, Hiro-san. We've been together for so long but I learn something new every day."

Hiroki snorted like the very idea was stupid. "We know plenty about each other."

"Did you know I'm mildly lactose intolerant?"

Hiroki stopped at that, thinking. Then he just grumbled and put his glasses back on like it didn't matter.

**Statistics show that about 95% of people in Japan have some level of lactose intolerance, actually. Of course that ranges from mild discomfort to puking forever from a cup of milk so yeah.**


	223. The Truth About Migraines

The Truth About Migraines

Misaki wasn't prone to migraines; if he was, he probably would've had one a lot sooner with all the stress put on him, living with Usagi-san. But one Saturday, he woke up early in the morning to a pounding in his head, and when he stumbled to the bathroom and turned on the light, he groaned and immediately shut it off, feeling like the backs of his eyes were going to explode. He'd made so much racket that Usagi, who'd been pulling all-nighters to finish a manuscript, had noticed.

Of course, Usagi-san being Usagi-san, panicked and it took every ounce of Misaki's strength to convince him that he'd be fine if he just went back to bed for a while and maybe got some pain medication.

"…do we even have any?" Usagi-san asked as he followed Misaki, who was stumbling down the hall to his bedroom. He was trying to keep his eyes closed and his breathing even, but the trade was not being able to see where he was going.

Misaki winced as he fell into bed. The soft pillow admittedly helped his throbbing head a little, but he still felt like his head had been repeatedly hit with a meat mallet. "Of course we have pain medication. Why wouldn't we?"

"…well I'm not the one who goes shopping," Usagi-san said, sounding a little bit indignant. When Misaki groaned again, Usagi-san nodded. "I'll go find some."

Misaki sighed, putting the pillow over his head to block out the hall light Usagi-san turned on as he headed towards the bathroom again. At least he was trying.


	224. A Past Truth

A Past Truth

At one point in his graduate school career, Hiroki worked at the T University library. It paid enough to survive on, and he already knew the stacks like he had been working there for years, anyway. Of course the head librarian had been worried about his temper, but they needed _someone_ to tell those kids to shut the hell up because it was a library, for God's sake, and Hiroki was by no means shy about that.

He also wasn't shy about stopping the patrons from doing other things.

"This is a library, not your living room," Hiroki said with a glare after he had flung a ruler at a couple making out on a couch on the third floor. They had probably thought that since hardly anyone ever came up there, and that they were hidden away in a corner, they wouldn't be found. They obviously had forgotten that Hiroki sees _everything_. "Either start reading or get the hell out of here."

The boy and girl were both grumbling as they scrambled away from the couch under Hiroki's harsh gaze. "He probably can't even get any, the bitter little bastard," the guy mumbled.

"I heard that!" Hiroki called after them. "And I probably get more than you!" he added out of spite. The door to the stairwell slammed shut without comment from the couple. Hiroki turned back to the shelves to put away the stack of books in his arms, and he jumped in surprise to see one of the undergraduate student workers. "_What._"

"I didn't know you were in a relationship, senpai," she said, her eyes wide as she clutched her own pile of books to her chest. "She must be really, um… smart?"

Hiroki's eyes softened just a bit, and he nodded. "Yeah, I guess." He started putting books away, but his coworker was still staring at him. "What?"

"What's her name?"

"_Would you just get back to work._"


	225. The Truth About Passports

The Truth About Passports

Hiroki was the first one home one night, and figuring that he had at least an hour until Nowaki finished his shift at the hospital and another half hour since he'd said he would get dinner, he decided to do a little unpacking. They still had boxes here and there from moving out of their previous apartment, and it made Hiroki's eye twitch whenever he saw them.

One that was shoved in the back of their closet was labeled with Nowaki's name in messy hiragana. He probably could've left that one alone and let Nowaki go through it since it was probably his stuff, but curiosity got the better of him.

What he found made him frown. It seemed to be various memorabilia from America, but Hiroki couldn't remember ever seeing any of it. At the top of the pile was a passport, and he carefully picked up the leather-bound booklet and stared at it. Upon flipping through, he could see a stamp marking a student visa, as well as indication that, at some point in his studies in America, he had gone up to Canada.

Hiroki took a deep breath, and then he dropped the passport back in the box and shoved the thing back into the closet. He realized, then, that he had never really asked Nowaki what he had done during his time in America. He knew that he had studied his heart out so he could get back as soon as possible, as well as written a letter almost every day to him that he never ended up mailing, but that was really all. It had been a sore subject for them both.

His cell phone suddenly went off, and Hiroki grabbed it up off the floor. "Hello?" he asked, trying to use irritation to mask the shake in his voice.

"…Hiro-san?" came Nowaki's gentle voice. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, whatever, I'm fine." Hiroki was glad Nowaki wasn't right there to see him wipe the unfallen tears from his eyes. "What do you want? I thought you were still working."

"Ah, I am, Hiro-san. But… it's slow right now, so I thought I'd see what you wanted for dinner."

"Whatever, you know what I like."

"Okay, Hiro-san. I'll see you in a while." Nowaki paused, and then, "I love you."

"…love you too," Hiroki muttered before hanging up first.


	226. The Truth About Kittens

The Truth About Kittens

Sometimes, Usagi did things that surprised even Misaki. After having lived with him for over a year, he wouldn't have thought that anything the man did could truly surprise him. Even if he did something new that was crazy, Misaki liked to consider himself thoroughly jaded.

Which was why he was extremely confused when he walked into the apartment one day after his university classes to find a kitten greet him in the genkan.

"Usagi-san?" Misaki asked, but he kept staring down at the kitten.

"Yeah?" Usagi was over in the living room, smoking a cigarette and watching the TV in an indifferent sort of way. When Misaki pointed at the brown and white kitten, Usagi said, "Oh. That thing wouldn't leave me alone. I named it Misaki."

"_What_." Misaki stared down at the thing, knowing that if he didn't get it out of the apartment, it would be just one more thing that Usagi would take a brief interest in and then foist on him to take care of himself.

"I thought it was appropriate. It always looks up at me with those big, green, adoring eyes." Usagi shrugged, stubbing out his cigarette in the panda ashtray. "Anyway, I don't even know what cats eat."

Misaki had been ready with a whole list of reasons why they couldn't keep the cat, but he just sighed and slumped down. Maybe he could train it to attack Usagi when he got too grabby.


	227. The Truth About Getting Ready

The Truth About Getting Ready

Hiroki was supposed to go into the university early that day. He didn't have a class until one o'clock, but one of the members of the literature department had announced they'd be retiring a while back, and they needed members to sit in on guest lectures by possible candidates to fill the position. He wasn't happy about it. He also wasn't happy about the fact that he was expected to have breakfast with the person first. Of course he wouldn't admit to Nowaki that he'd rather stay at home and eat with him.

"Goddamit, where are my glasses?" Hiroki demanded as he ran from the bedroom to the kitchen. He was mostly dressed, but he still had his tie just hanging around his neck.

Nowaki glanced at him from where he'd been making breakfast for himself and smiled. Then he reached over and took Hiroki's glasses from the top of his head. "Here they are, Hiro-san," he said.

Hiroki glared at Nowaki like it was all his fault that he hadn't thought to look for his glasses on top of his head, and then he snatched them out of Nowaki's hands and went to the genkan. As he put on his shoes, he glanced over at Nowaki, who was still watching him. "Have a good day or whatever, I guess."

Nowaki grinned broadly. "Have a good day, Hiro-san!"


	228. The Obvious Truth

The Obvious Truth

Hiroki actually had to meet the head of the dean of literature, the candidate for the department position, and the two other professors who'd be sitting in on his lecture at a restaurant. They had briefly thought of just having breakfast in the university cafeteria, but had decided against it. Not that Hiroki knew why, since he'd never eaten there himself.

"Ah, here he is!" the dean said as Hiroki stepped into the restaurant. "Kamijou, this is Masumi Kaneko. Kaneko-san, this is the other professor who will be observing you today, Hiroki Kamijou."

"It's good to meet you," Hiroki muttered, bowing. He pulled his glasses off and put them in his bag as they sat down, acutely aware that Kaneko was watching him.

"We were just asking Kaneko-san about herself," the dean said with a smile on his face, signaling Hiroki to sit down. "You're single aren't you, Kamijou?"

Hiroki's eye twitched, but he reached for the tea that had already been ordered for him. "No, sir, I'm not."

"Ah, I see! I had no idea, Kamijou. I knew you had a roommate since I always see him around the university, waiting for you…" The dean turned to another of the professors and started talking about something else. Hiroki had a very sour look on his face, but when he caught Kaneko's eye and she snorted in laughter, glancing at the dean, Hiroki couldn't help but feel a little better. Perhaps not _everyone_ was that stupid.


	229. Kaneko's Truth

Kaneko's Truth

Nowaki had texted Hiroki at one point to tell him that he'd forgotten his lunch, and because Hiroki was in an abnormally good mood, he'd said that Nowaki could bring it and his own at noon and they'd eat together in his office. Miyagi had a class at the time so he wouldn't be there to bother them.

Of course what he didn't account for was anyone else passing by. Which was probably why he let Nowaki end up ravishing him on the old couch until he was light-headed.

"Kamijou-sensei, would you like to go to lunch?" It was Masumi Kaneko; the door hadn't been latched, so she pushed it open without even thinking about it. When she actually got a look in the room, though, she blinked.

"…good afternoon, Kaneko-san," Hiroki said, pushing Nowaki away with a glare. "I've already eaten, thank you." When he saw how confused Kaneko was, he added, "This is Nowaki Kusama, my… 'roommate.'" He cringed at that, but he couldn't bring himself to say any of the words that he knew Kaneko would assume from "roommate."

"…ah," Kaneko said with a wry smile. "I'm Masumi Kaneko. It's good to meet you, Kusama-san. Excuse me…" She bowed and was gone. She even locked the door behind her and made sure it was closed before going down the hall.

Nowaki smiled and pulled Hiroki back down onto the couch. "She's nice, Hiro-san."

"Whatever."


	230. The Truth About Naming

The Truth About Naming

Hiroki went home one day looking especially pissed-off. Nowaki happened to be home right then, and when he saw the look on Hiroki's face, he quickly got up and went to put on some tea.

"How was your day, Hiro-san?" he was brave enough to ask. When he looked back, Hiroki was glaring at him, but he managed not to be alarmed.

"One of the English professors went into labor," he said. "She said it was her last day before she started her maternity leave."

"I see," Nowaki said as he put the kettle on the stove and turned on the burner. "I suppose it must have been a surprise but…" He was about ot ask why Hiroki was so angry about it, but he snapped his mouth shut. He knew better by then.

"She was walking by one of my classes when her water broke," Hiroki said, sounding increasingly annoyed. "I ended up having to call a taxi and going with her because her husband wasn't answering his phone."

Nowaki blinked in surprise. He would have been thrilled to get such an opportunity, but then again, he could understand why Hiroki wouldn't. Since the water was boiling, Nowaki left it to work and walked up behind the couch where Hiroki sat down. "I'm sorry, Hiro-san," he said with a smile, putting his hands down on Hiroki's shoulders and gently massaging them.

Hiroki snorted, but he didn't push Nowaki away. "Her husand did show up eventually. But then, apparently, they'd been expecting a girl."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"So… did they have a male name, just in case?" Nowaki couldn't see Hiroki's face since he was behind him, but he could feel his shoulders tense up even more. "Hiro-san?"

"No," he finally said. "They asked me names I liked."

"Oh? And what did they end up going with?"

"…they liked the name Nowaki."

Nowaki rose his eyebrows in surprise, but before he could comment, he heard the whistling of the tea kettle and let go of Hiroki's shoulders to go tend it. He couldn't help but have a smile on his face, though.


	231. The Truth About Working Hard

The Truth About Working Hard

Nowaki woke up at about eleven o'clock one night to Hiroki finally getting back from the university. Despite how hard Hiroki worked, he didn't often stay that long there unless he really had to. Sometimes it was because Miyagi had dumped a lot of work on him, and sometimes it was because he knew he'd be tempted to just not do his work if he knew Nowaki was going to be there.

Not that Nowaki could really blame him for that second reason. He was tired, though, so all he could really do when Hiroki walked into the bedroom was give a weak wave before pulling the covers back up over himself.

"What's the matter with you?" Hiroki asked as he pulled off his tie and searched through the drawers for something to wear to bed.

"Just… tired, Hiro-san," Nowaki said. "I've been working since I left this morning."

Hiroki looked at Nowaki in alarm. Nowaki had left at about seven that morning. "And you just got home?"

"Yes…"

Hiroki frowned and forwent changing in the bathroom for doing it right there in the room, knowing that Nowaki wouldn't try pouncing him. He still had a sour look on his face, but as he crawled into bed, it melted slightly. "You work way too hard, you know that?" he asked, putting his glasses on the nightstand. "You don't have to prove yourself anymore, now that you have a full job…"

"I do though, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, his voice muffled by the pillow. "If I don't keep proving myself, how will you know that I'm worthy of you?"

Hiroki's scowl returned, and he picked up his own pillow and chucked it at Nowaki. "Stupid! What have I told you about that?" When he looked, though, Nowaki was looking up at him with what could only be described as pleading eyes. "…you're more than 'worthy' of me, Nowaki. So stop worrying, dumbass." He frowned again and took his pillow back, falling over onto the bed.

"I love you, Hiro-san." Nowaki pulled Hiroki to him, and Hiroki couldn't help but sigh as his boyfriend's naturally high body temperature enveloped him.

"Yeah, yeah."


	232. The Truth About Children

The Truth About Children

The professor who'd given birth had several weeks off for maternity leave, but after she had gotten out of the hospital, she could resist going back to the university and showing off her new baby to her coworkers. She came during Hiroki's lunch hour, and it was just Hiroki's luck that he was leaving the building with Nowaki in tow to eat together at a café down the street when she came walking through with a huge baby bag over her shoulder and her baby wrapped up in a blanket in her arms.

"Oh, Kamijou-sensei!" she said, carefully slipping her son into one arm and smiling at him when she saw him. Then her eyes went to Nowaki, who was standing behind Hiroki with a smile on his face. "Who's this?"

Hiroki cleared his throat, glancing back at Nowaki. "Ah, this is Nowaki Kusama. He's… well, I guess he's the man you named your baby after." He cleared his throat again, looking sheepish and ducking his head like he thought that would help hide himself.

Nowaki, of course, wasn't nearly as nervous, and he stepped forward and bowed. "It's good to meet you. Hiro-san told me about what happened." He smiled warmly.

"Ah, do you work here as well, Kusama-san? I don't think I've ever seen you around."

Nowaki smiled. "No, I work as a pediatrician. I'm just here for Hiro-san." He smiled over at Hiroki, and it was clear that he didn't need to say a single word for the woman to understand what he meant.

"Have you ever thought of having children of your own, Kamijou-san?" the woman suddenly asked, turning to Hiroki.

"I hate children."

Nowaki chuckled and said, "You hate most people, Hiro-san."

"And with good reason!"

"If you say so, Hiro-san."


	233. The Truth About Three Little Words

The Truth About Three Little Words

"I love you, Hiro-san. So much."

Nowaki smiled against Hiroki's lips as they both sat up in bed, side-by-side and completely spent after a round of sex. They were both sweating, and Hiroki's hair was even more unruly than it usually was at home. When Hiroki didn't answer, Nowaki simply pressed against his lips even more, putting one hand to Hiroki's cheek and taking the man's hand in his other.

"As if you didn't say that enough already," Hiroki said, slightly pulling away from the kiss. Their lips still brushed up against each other, and Hiroki could feel the heat coming off his boyfriend. It was a mixture of the exertion and his naturally high body temperature, and he couldn't help but feel comforted by it. After seven years, it was something he'd never grow tired of. Nowaki laughed lightly, the affection clear in his voice, and Hiroki rolled his eyes. "You're such a sap, you know that?"

"Maybe, but I'm only like this for Hiro-san." He kept his blue eyes trained right on Hiroki's brown ones, until Hiroki swallowed once and turned away. "I love you, Hiro-san."

"You said that."

"I know."

"You-" Hiroki scowled and laid down, rolling over onto his side and pulling the covers over himself. He scrunched up his body into the fetal position and huffed. "Goodnight, Nowaki."

Nowaki sighed and ran his hand through Hiroki's hair. Then, after cleaning himself off, he laid down next to his boyfriend, taking the man in his arms. "I love you, Hiro-san."

Hiroki scowled even though he knew Nowaki couldn't see it. "Yeah. I love you too, idiot."


	234. The Truth About Unrequited Love

The Truth About Unrequited Love

Shizuko Ishi had been working at Japun for a while now. He had been there before he was assigned to be Ijuuin's sub-editor, so he knew the ropes. He also knew how to intimidate people just from a stare. He was a man of few words.

Which was why it was so frustrating to be around Kyou Ijuuin, because there was so much he wanted to say to him that he couldn't.

_Hey Kiwi, send over Takahashi, would you? _was the text Shizuko was greeted with when he checked his phone at lunch. A second one informed him that his fax machine was on the fritz but that he had material ready to be cut into. Shizuko frowned and shut his phone, deciding not to answer the text and just go over himself. Why did Ijuuin need Misaki for everything, anyway? Kirishima had assigned Shizuko as his sub-editor, not Misaki.

He was perfectly capable of doing anything for him that Ijuuin wanted.

With a sigh, Shizuko opened his phone again and sent off a text.

_I'll see if I can find him._


	235. The Truth About Summer

The Truth About Summer

Summer vacation tended to drive Hiroki insane near the end of it. He had plenty he could be doing but he always just ended up being a book-reading lump. The fact that August was the most miserable month in Tokyo probably didn't help.

With the new trimester came new classes, though, and he had to be ready. After all this time he was still assigned Intro to Japanese Literature, so he knew he'd be having bright, fresh faces to terrify into submission. If he was easier on them he might get upper-level classes, but he'd already proven he could deal with uppity freshmen, and there was no taking that back.

Of course, there were also old students he had to put up with, and when there came a knock at his door after a full day of moving sounds and one quick look into the hallway, he hoped to God his new neighbors weren't some of his students.

"Hi there!" It was a young man and woman, college age, but they didn't seem to recognize him. The woman was the one talking to him, and she smiled brightly. "I know this is a little awkward but… the hot water isn't working in our apartment yet, and I really need a shower…"

Hiroki let out a long sigh and stepped aside. He knew that if Nowaki was home he'd agree to let her use their shower. The woman scuttled through with her toiletries, and her boyfriend was left standing there awkwardly.

There was a long pause as Hiroki just stared at him.

"…you look familiar." The man narrowed his eyes as Hiroki turned away. "Are you a student at Mitsuhashi?"

Okay, that got him. "I'm almost thirty, you brat!" His face had turned red at the implication that he looked young enough to still be an undergrad. He stomped away at that, going into the kitchen even though he had nothing to do in there.

Maybe he needed to start slicking his hair back again.


	236. The Truth on the Last Day of Summer

The Truth on the Last Day of Summer

There was a reason Hiroki had never relented and let Nowaki drag him to a summer festival: he hated people, and there always so very many people there at those kinds of things. But he also had such a hard time saying no to Nowaki, and that's how they ended up returning to their apartment late at night after an evening trudging around a festival. All Hiroki had to show for it was sore feet and a giant stuffed bear.

Nowaki had ended up carrying it the entire train ride back home, and even though people had given him odd looks, he had seemed like the happiest man on Earth.

"Hiro-san, you should probably go to bed," he said as he watched Hiroki slump down on the couch. He had adamantly refused to wear a yukata to the festival, so he was dressed in a light t-shirt and shorts. His feet were bare, and Nowaki quietly put down the bear beside the couch Hiroki was laying on and sat, massaging them. "It's the first day of classes tomorrow. You don't want to go in tired, right?"

Hiroki murmured something about going in hung-over before and the students didn't seem to care, but he knew Nowaki was right. Then he glanced up, and Nowaki expected to be berated for doing something so intimate, but he just smiled slightly and closed his eyes. "Yeah," he said, looking content as Nowaki kept working. "Are you working tomorrow?"

"I'll be leaving about the time you do, Hiro-san." He looked up at his boyfriend, a warm smile on his face and his shaggy bangs hanging in his eyes. "Do you want to have breakfast together?"

There was a long stretch of silence between them, and Nowaki ducked his head, going back to massaging Hiroki's feet and not expecting anything to come out of the request.

"Why don't you give me massages more often?" Hiroki's voice was distant, like he could fall asleep any second.

"Whenever I try, you accuse me of just wanting sex and call me a pervert."

Hiroki frowned at that. "You should do it, anyway."

"Okay, Hiro-san."


End file.
